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STORIES 

THE IROQUOIS 

TELL THEIR 

CHILDREN 




MABEL POWERS 

(YEH SEN NOH WEHS) 



AMEKICAN BOOK COMPANY 

NEW YORK CINCINNATI CHICAGO 






Copyright, 191 7, by 
Mabel Powers. 
All rights reserved. 




APR 19 1917 



©CIA4G0396 



>^D / 



To ALL THE Children who ask 
How^ AND Why, 

ESPECIALLY THOSE ReD CHILDREN 

WHO SEE WITH WONDER EYES, 

AND THOSE PaLEFACE CHILDREN 

WHO YET BELIEVE IN FAIRIES, 

THESE STORIES ARE LOVINGLY DEDICATED 




CONTENTS 

Page 

Acknowledgment >. . 8 

Foreword by the Chiefs 9 

INTRODUCTORY 

How the Stories came to Be 11 

Why I WAS called the Story-teller 13 

The Little People 18 

Story-telling Time 23 

How THE Iroquois give Thanks 27 

A Firemaker and a Peacemaker 34 



IROQUOIS WONDER STORIES 

How THE White Man came 
Why the Eagle defends Americans 
How THE Turkey Buzzard got his Suit 
Why the Partridge drums 
How THE Indians learned to Heal 
Why Dogs chase Foxes 
Why Hermit Thrush is so Shy 
How Good and Evil came to Be . 
How a Boy was Cured of Boasting 
Why the Cuckoo is so Lazy . 
How the Coon outwitted the Fox 
Why the Goldfinches look like the Sun 
What the Ash and the Maple Learned 
How THE Woman overcame the Bear . 
Why the Woodpecker bores for its Food 
Why the Ice Roof fell .... 
Why the Chipmunk has Black Stripes 
How Two Indian Boys settled a Quarrel 
How Mice overcame the Warriors 

6 



45 
49 
60 
66 
69 
75 
79 
85 
90 

95 
99 
103 
107 
112 
115 
119 
122 

125 
130 



CONTENTS 



Why Crows are Poor .... 

Why the Indian loves his Dog 

Greedy 1< awn and the Porridge 

Why Hounds outrun other Animals . 

Why Indians never shoot Pigeons 

How Old Man Winter was driven Back 

Why Lightning sometimes Strikes 

Why the Hare has a Split Lip and Short 

Corn Plume and Bean Maiden 

How the Robin burned his Breast 



Tail 



Page 
135 
139 
145 
152 
155 
159 
168 
176 
180 
187 



IROQUOIS FAIRY STORIES 

How Morning Star lost her Fish 195 

How Little Shooter lost his Luck 201 

How an Indian Boy won his Name 205 

How the Fairies worked Magic 211 



ACKNOWLEDGMENT 

If the Red Children had not welcomed the writer 
to their lodge fires, these stories the Iroquois tell their 
children could not have been retold. With one or two 
exceptions, the ideas found in the stories have been had 
from the lips of the Indians themselves. To Arthur 
C. Parker — Ga wa so wa neh — for his careful review of 
the stories and assistance in securing authentic Iroquois 
illustrations; and to the following story-tellers who so 
kindly welcomed her to their lodges, and told her stories, 
the writer is most grateful. 

Edward Cornplanter (5o son do wah — " Great Night ") Seneca Wolf 

William Patterson {Ga reh hwonts — " Fower has come down ") . ■ Tuscarora Deer 

Moses Shongo {Ho non da a suit — '" Keeper of the hills ") Seneca Wolf 

Clifford Shongo {Ouhn yah dah go/i — " Very dark blue sky") Seneca Wolf 

Charles Doxon {Hoh squa sa ga dah — " Woodsman ") Onondaga Turtle 

Daniel George {Jo ha a ga dah — " Roadscraper ") Onondaga Eel 

Mary Printup {Wah le sa loh) Mohawk Snipe 

Dan Williams {Oh geh rah u reh ru ha neh — "Running Bear") ..Tuscarora Bear 

Eli Henry Tuscarora Deer 

Harriett Pembleton {Gah do rehn /aA — " Dropping Husks ").. ..Tuscarora Turtle 
Amos Killbuck {Bar wen do dyoh — "He has forsaken early dawn ") . Seneca Wolf 

Alfred Jimeson {Bar neh a 0/2 — " Hatchet in his hands").. Seneca Heron 

William Hoag (O no nah — " Very cold ") Seneca Wolf 

Ellen Pierce Shongo ( Yea wen noh aih — " The high word ") Seneca Wolf 

Baptist Thomas {Sa ha whe — " Long feather ") Onondaga Turtle 

Albert Cusick {Sha go na qua da — " Made them mad ") Onondaga Eel 

Theodore Jimeson {Jah yah) Seneca Snipe 

David Warrior {Dwen gwah) Cayuga White Heron 

Willett Jimeson {So i as ah — " Owner of fine cornstalks") Seneca Wolf 

Nancy Greysquirrel iOah gwah tah — " One who lifts ") Seneca Bear 

Emily Tallchief {Gi das tfas — "Wind blowing through corn") Seneca Turtle 

Louise Pierce Logan {Ga yah was — "The quivering heaven") Seneca Wolf 

Thomas Jones {Gah ne yehs — " The dropping snow ") Seneca Wolf 

8 



FOREWORD 

Once our fathers own these lands of New York State. 
Once the Iroquois were great people. Their council fires 
burn from Hudson on east to Lake Erie on west, from 
rising to setting sun. Then White man come. He ask 
for small seat size buffalo skin. He take larger and larger 
one, till Indian have but small place to sit. 

Now we have little left but stories of our fathers. 
They, too, will soon be lost and forgotten, but a voice 
has come to speak for us. Yeh sen noh wehs — the one 
who tells the stories — will carry these stories of our 
fathers to Paleface. She will help White man to under- 
stand Indian, Indian to be understood. She will have 
all men brothers. 

Indian's heart is glad that Yeh sen noh wehs, our 
white friend, has come to us. She have good eyes. She 
see right. She like things Indian. She try to preserve 
them. Our old men and women tell her the stories told 
them, many, many moons ago, when little children. 

Yeh sen noh wehs write down these stories so our 
children and our children's children may read and know 
them; and so Paleface Children may learn them also. 
Indian tell these stories to his children to make them 
good and brave and kind and unselfish. May they teach 
Paleface Children how they should do. 

9 



Again we say, Indian is glad to have some one speak 
for him. He is glad to have some one write down the 
great and beautiful thoughts in Indian's mind and heart. 
We have spoken. Na ho. 

Chief of Seneca Nation, 



Chief of Onondagas, 






Chief of Tuscaroras, 

Chief of Oneidas, 
Chief of Cayugas, 

Chief of Mohawks, 



10 



now THE STORIES CAME TO BE 

Out of the moons of long ago, these 
stories have come. Then every tribe of the 
Iroquois had its story-teller. 

When the Old Man of the North came 
out of his lodge, and the forests and rivers 
of the Red Children grew white with his 
breath, these story-tellers wandered from 
wigwam to wigwam. 

Seated on warm skins by the fire, the 
story-teller would exclaim, *'//^;//6>/" This 
meant, ''Come, gather round, and I will tell 
a story." 

Then all the Red Children would cry, 
'' Hehl' and draw close to the fire. This 
meant that they were glad to hear the story. 
And as the flames leaped and chased one an- 
other along the fire trail, they would listen to 
these wonder stories of the Little People, of 

II 



12 HOW THE STORIES CAME TO BE 

the trees and flowers, of birds, of animals, 
and men. When the story-teller had fin- 
ished, he said, '' Na ho!' This meant, ''It 
is the end." 

The earth was very young, when the Red 
Children first learned how everything came 
to be, and just why it is that things are as 
they are. They told these wonderful things 
to their children, and their children in turn 
told them to their children ; and those chil- 
dren again in turn told them to theirs, that 
these things might not be forgotten. 

Now, but few of the Red Children know 
these stories that the grandmothers and old 
men of the tribe used to tell. The story- 
teller is no longer seen wandering from 
wigwam to wigwam. 




WHY I WAS CALLED THE 
STORY-TELLER 

Some time ago the writer of these stories 
was asked to speak for an Indian Society. 
She accepted the invitation, and that night 
made her first Indian friends. 

Her new friends told her many beautiful 
things about the Red Children. The more 
the writer learned about the Iroquois people, 
and things Indian, the more interested she 
became. After a time she began to tell 
the Paleface the things she had learned. 

Soon, one of the tribes, the Senecas — the 
tribe to which her new friends belonged — 
heard that she was speaking for them. 
They wished to honor her, so they asked 
her to be present at their Green-Corn Feast, 
and become one of them. 

So when the Green-Corn moon hung her 
13 



14 WHY I WAS CALLED THE STORY-TELLER 

horn in the night sky, the writer found the 
trail to the Land of the Senecas. There the 
Senecas adopted her into the Snipe clan 
of their nation. She was called YeJi sen 
noh wehs — ''One who carries and tells the 
stories." 

Thus it was that the writer became one 
of the Red Children, Yeh sen jto/i wehs — 
the Daughter of the Senecas. 

The more Yeh sen noh wehs learned of 
the Red Children, and their simple stories, 
the more she loved them. One day, Yeli 
sen noh wehs said she would be the story- 
teller not only of the Senecas, but of all the 
tribes of the Iroquois. There are six great 
families of this people. Each family is 
called a tribe or nation. 

Once, the council fires of these six nations 
burned from the Hudson on the east, to 
Lake Erie on the west, and they were a 
great and powerful people. 



WHY I WAS CALLED THE STORY-TELLER 1 5 

It was at the time of the Berry Moon 
that Yell sen noh wehs hit the story trail. 
Since then she has journeyed through all 
the lands of the Senecas, the Onondagas, 
the Cayugas, the Oneidas, the Mohawks, 
and the Tuscaroras. 

Like the story-teller of old, Yeh sen noh 
wehs wandered from lodge to lodge of the 
Iroquois. '' Hanio',' she would call, and as 
the Indians gathered round, she would tell 
them one of the stories that other Indian 
friends had told to her. 

Sometimes this would remind the Red 
Children of another story, which Yeh sen noh 
wehs did not know, and they would tell it 
to her. It was in this way that these 
stories have been gathered. 

There were many days when Yeh sen 
noh 7uehs told her stories, but none were 
told in return. Few members of the tribes 
— these usually the oldest — could remem- 
ber the stories '* they used to tell." 



i6 



WHY I WAS CALLED THE STORY-TELLER 



Sometimes Ych sen noh wehs heard a 
story as she trudged along a furrow, beside 
a ragged Indian who was plowing with a 
more ragged-looking team. Or she would 
listen as she helped an Indian woman pre- 
pare the evening meal, pick berries, or 
gather nuts. 




Sometimes, as Yeh sen noh wehs sat by a 
fire down in the depths of a beautiful wood, 
and watched the smoke of the sacred medi- 
cine rise, a medicine man would tell her a 
story; or an Indian woman would drop a 
word, as she sat at her door weaving baskets 
or making beadwork. 

These stories Yeh sen noli wehs has made 
into a story book, that they might not be 




' WHY T WAS CALLED THE STORY-TELLER 1/ 

lost and forgotten; that all the Iroquois 
Red Children and their children's children 
might know and tell them, and that Pale- 
face children might learn them as well. 

The American children have no fairies of 
their own. They must borrow their fairies 
from children of other nations. Yeh sen 
noh wehs thought it very sad, so she put a 
magic feather 
in her cap, and 
winged moc- 
casins on her 
feet. Then she 
went on the 
chase for real American wonder stories, 
and for real American fairies. 

Had there not been a feather in the magic 
cap she wore, Yeli sen noh wehs would not 
have found them. But the feather pointed 
the way to the Nature Wonder Trail, and 
there she caught a glimpse of the ''Little 
People," — the only true American fairies. 




THE LITTLE PEOPLE 

All children who live close to Mother 
Earth come to know and to see the 
fairies of the flowers, the woods, the 
rocks, and the waters. 

These fairies the Iroquois call the Jo 
gah oh, or *' Little People," because they 
are so small. The Little People can do 
wonderful things. Whatever they wish, 
they can do. They can fly through the air. 
They can dart under or through the water, 
into the earth and through the rocks, as 
they please, for they wear invisible mocca- 
sins and travel in winged canoes. 

Their wee babies are carried on the little 
mothers' backs, — just like the Indians pa- 
poose. The little fathers have wonderful 
winged bows and arrows, that can shoot 
any distance they wish. 

i8 



20 THE LITTLE PEOPLE 

The Little People bring good luck to the 
Indians. Whatever Indian boys and girls 
wish for, — if they wish hard enough, the 
Jo gall oh will bring to them. 

It is said that there are three tribes of 
these Little People, — those that live in the 
rocks beside streams and lakes, those that 
hover near the flowers and plants, and those 
that guard the dark places under the earth. 

The rock Little People are very strong. 
They can uproot large trees and can hurl 
great rocks. Sometimes they dare the 
Indians to a test of strength with them. 
They also like to play ball with stones. 

The Red Children fear the Stone Throw- 
ers, as they call them. But they love the 
little folk that help the flowers to blossom, 
and the fruit and grains to grow and ripen. 

They remember these Little People in 
their Feasts of Thanksgiving, for do the Jo 
gall oil not help the sweet waters of the 
maple to flow? Do they not whisper to 



THE LITTLE PEOPLE 



21 



the growing seeds and show the way to the 
light? Do they not guide the runners of 
the strawberries, turn the blossoms to the 
sun, and paint the berries red? They also 
tint the grains, and give to the corn its 
good taste. 

A third tribe of Little People dwell under 
the earth. They guard the sacred white 
buffaloes, and keep the serpent monsters 
that live in the darkness below from com- 
ing to the surface to the Red Children. 

There are trails that lead out to the sun- 
light, but the Little People guard them 
close, although sometimes a great serpent 




IROQUOIS STORIES 



22 



THE LITTLE PEOPLE 



will find the trail of a spring, and will follow 
it and poison the waters. 

Often, at night, these elves of the dark 
come to the upper world to dance with the 
other Little People. - 

Wherever you find a tree in a deep, dark 
part of the wood, around which no grass 
will grow, there you may be sure a dance 
ring has been formed. There the Little 
People have danced till the moon dropped 
out of the sky. 




Dance Rattle 



STORY-TELLING TIME 

The old-time Indians say that long, long 
ago, the Little People made a law that 
stories must not be told in summer. 

Summer is the time for work. Bees 
must store their honey. Squirrels must 
gather their nuts. Men must grow their 
corn. Trees and plants must leaf, and 
flower, and bear their fruit. 

If stories were told, plants, birds, animals, 
and men would stop their work to listen. 
This would mean poor crops and hungry 
people. Animals would forget to grow 
their winter coats and lay by their winter 
stores. Birds would fail to start in time 
for the South. 

The old Indians say that the story-teller 
who disobeys this law of th^Jogah oh will 
suffer some misfortune. Winter is the time 



24 STORY-TELLING TIME 

to tell the stories, for then the work of 
animals, plants, and men is done, — and the 
Little People are fast asleep. 

No, it is not safe to tell stories in summer. 
No one knows when a bird, or a bee, or a 
butterfly may be listening, and may tell the 
chief of the Little People. Should the chief 
of the Little People be offended, he might 
cause something dreadful to happen to the 
story-teller. 

Last summer, the writer of these stories 
came very near being changed into an ani- 
mal, — or something worse, — just for tell- 
ing stories. So an old Indian said. She 
does not know now how she escaped. She 
thinks it must have been because she was a 
White Indian. This is how it happened. 

It w^as at the time of the Harvest Moon, 
Yeh sen noh welis spoke for one of the 
tribes at their council house, and she told 
some of these wonder stories. 

All went well until the middle of the night. 



• STORY-TFXLINO TIME 25 

Then a very old Indian came to warn her 
of her danger. It seems that he had been 
at the council in the evening, and had heard 
the stories told, many of which he knew. 

He told Yell sen noli we /is he had ex- 
pected to see her change into something 
else right then and there. He said he 
would not dare to tell a story. "■ No, no, 
me 'fraid, evil come!" he said. 

Then he wanted to know if Ye/i sen noh 
wehs was a real Indian. He had been told 
that she was a White Indian, but when he 
heard her tell the stories, he said, he thought 
she was a real Indian. 

When Yell sen noli wehs told him that 
she had not a drop of Indian blood run- 
ning in her veins, he looked very solemn. 
At last he spoke. He told the interpreter 
to tell her, — for he spoke but a few w^ords 
of English, — that the Great Spirit made 
a snake, a snake; a fox, a fox; a muskrat, 
a muskrat; a coon, a coon; a bear, a bear; 



26 



STORY-TELLING TIME 



an Indian, an Indian; a White Indian, a 
White Indian. Each must be snake, fox, 
coon, bear, Indian or White Indian, as long 
as he lived. Each must be himself. 

Then the old man asked what disease 
Yell sen noli wehs had, that made her go 
around with a feather in her hair, acting like 
a real Indian, if she were a White Indian. 

Yeh sen noh wehs had no answer. And 
she does not know to this day, what saved 
her from being changed into a rabbit, a 
katydid, or something worse, by the chief 
of the Little People. She knows, however, 
that she is very glad she is telling the 
stories to you, in the winter time. 




HOW THE IROQUOIS CxIVE 
THANKS 

The Iroquois Red Children are a grateful 
people. The true Iroquois never rises after 
eating without saying, '' Niaweh^' which 
means, '' I am thankful." The others reply, 
uA^/^/^;'_-It is well." 

The Red Children never pick a flower 
without thinking how kind the Great Spirit 
has been, to cause the flowers to grow. 
They like flowers, and no matter how poor 
the Indian cabin, flowers are always to be 
found near. 

When the Iroquois pick fruit, they give 
thanks to the Great Spirit. And always do 
they leave some, for the '' little brothers of 
the wood." 

They do not try to pick every cherry 
or berry, or nut or apple, for themselves. 

27 



28 HOW THE IROQUOIS GIVE THANKS 

Fruits grow for the birds and animals as 
well as for men, and the little brothers of 
the wood must not be forgotten. Some of 
everything that grows is left for them. 




Sap Bucket 



During the spring and summer, the 
Iroquois give several thanksgiving feasts. 
The first is early in the spring, at maple- 
sugar time. As soon as the sap begins to 
flow, the Maple Feast is called. 

The Indians gather about a large maple 
tree. A fire is lighted near, upon which one 
of their number sprinkles tobacco. As the 
smoke rises, a prayer of thanksgiving is 
made to the Great Spirit, for causing the 
sweet waters of the maple to flow. Then 
the maple trees are thanked for their service 



HOW THE H<0()UOIS (ilVE THANKS 



29 



to men, and protection is asked for the trees 
during the coming year. 

When **the leaf of the dogwood is the 
size of a squirrel's ear," it is planting time. 
Then an Indian maid goes into the fields 
and scatters a few grains of corn, asking 
the aid of the Great Spirit for the harvest. 
The Indian always plants his seed with the 
growing moon, that it may grow with the 
moon. 




.^'"i 



The next feast is the Strawberry Feast 
and Dance. 

The strawberry is one of the best gifts of 
the Great Spirit to his children. So greatly 
is it prized that it is thought to grow on the 



30 HOW THE IROQUOIS GIVE THANKS 

Sky Road that leads to the Happy Hunting 
Ground. An Indian who has been very ill, 
near death, will say, '' I almost ate straw- 
berries." 

When the strawberry ripens, the Red 
Children are happy. They sing their praises 
to the Great Spirit and dance with joy. 
They remember the Little People who have 
helped to make the berries beautiful, and 
they have a song of praise and dance of 
thanks for them as well. Without the help 
of the Little People, the strawberries would 
not be so sweet and ripe. 

At the time of the Harvest Moon comes 
the last feast of the summer. This thanks- 
giving feast lasts four days. The Indians 
not only give thanks for the ripening of the 
corn, but for every growing thing. There- 
fore this feast is longer than the others, since 
it takes some time to name all the good gifts 
of the Great Spirit to the Red Children, and 
to give thanks for them all. 



HOW THE IROQUOIS GIVE THANKS 3 1 

There is a story * of the corn in which 
the Spirit of the Corn is a maiden, not a 
handsome young chief, as one of the stories 
claims. This Corn Maiden was one of 
three sisters, and was called Ona tah. 

The three sister vegetables — the corn, 
the bean, and the squash — were called the 
Di he ko, which means " those we live 
on," since they are the life-giving vege- 
tables. 

These sisters lived together on a hill and 
were very happy. But one day Ona tah 
wandered away in search of dews for her 
kernels. 

The Evil Spirit was watching. He 
seized Ona tah, the Spirit of the Corn, and 
sent one of his monsters to blight her fields. 
The killing winds swept over the hill, and 
the spirits of the squash and bean fled be- 
fore them. 



* Myths and Legends of the Iroquois, by Harriet 
Maxwell Converse. 



32 



HOW THE IROQUOIS GIVE THANKS 



Ona tall was held for some time a pris- 
oner in the darkness under the earth, by 
the Evil Spirit. 




At last a sun ray found her and guided 
her back to her lost hilltop. There she 



HOW Till-: IROQUOIS GIVE THANKS 



33 



found that her sisters had fled. She was 
alone. 

Then Ona tali made a vow to the sun 
that she would never again leave her 
fields. But she sighs for her lost sisters, 
and mourns the blight that came upon her 
beautiful fields. For since the time when 
Ona tail wandered away and left her fields, 
the corn has not grown so tall or so beauti- 
ful as once it did. 




,^- ]im^^'^^^\^ ^^^^^^ 



A FIREMAKER AND A PEACE- 
MAKER 

In the olden times, tribes of Indians did 
not always live in one place as 
they do now. They sometimes 
wandered from one valley or 
woodland to another. When 
they came to a sheltered place, 
where there was pure running 
water, and where plenty of 
game and wood were to be found, 
they would build their lodges 
and light their council fires. 

There they might camp for 
one moon, or for many moons. 
As long as their arrows brought 
game on the hunting trails near, 
they would not break camp. But 
if game grew scarce, or if for any reason 

34 



A FTREMAKER AND A PEACEMAKER 35 

they did not like the camp ground, they 
would move farther on. 

Sometimes they would go several days' 
journey, before they found a camping place 
such as they liked. 

The first thing that was done in making 
a camp was to secure fire and light the 
council fire. This fire was always kept 
burning. It never went out while they 
remained. 

The Indians loved the fire. It was the 
gift of the Great Spirit to the Red Chil- 
dren. It kept them warm and cooked 
their food by day, and protected them by 
night. 

A line of fires was kept burning around 
the camp. This protected the Red Chil- 
dren from the wild animals, for all animals 
fear fire, and are charmed by it. They 
might prowl and howl all night long out- 
side the fire ring, but never would they 
attempt to come within that ring. There 



36 



A FIREMAKER AND A PEACEMAKER 



the Indians could sleep in peace, guarded 
by the spirits of the fire. 

The Indian that could make fire first be- 
came a chief and leader. When it was de- 
cided to camp at a 



certain place, a signal 
would be given. At 
this the young braves 
would leap into the 
woods, to see which 
one first could bring 
back fire. Each had 
his own secret way of 
making it. Usually 
a bowstring was 
twisted about a fire stick, and the stick was 
turned rapidly in a groove. In a few 
seconds, smoke would rise from the saw- 
dust that formed. After a little fanning 
a flame would leap forth. 

The Indian whose brain and hand worked 
swiftest and surest was the smartest and 




A i-ir1':makkr and a peacemaker 37 

best man. He became a Firemaker, and 
was made a chief of the tribe. He could 
do something that the rest could not, — at 
least he had proved himself to be more skill- 
ful. Such a man, it was thought, had a 
better understanding of all things, and there- 
fore could tell the rest of the tribe what 
ought to be done. 

He no longer was just a man who ate and 
slept, walked and ran. He was a man with a 
mind. He could think and could do things. 
So he became a Firemaker chief, and he 
helped the tribe to think and do. 

The Iroquois Red Children believe that 
there are three kinds of men : those that use 
the body only; those that use body and mind ; 
and those that use body, mind, and spirit. 

Now it happened that sometimes an In- 
dian grew to be so kind and so great, that 
he could not only strike the fire we see, but 
the fire we do not see, — the fire of love that 
burns in the hearts of people. 



A FIREMAKER AND A PEACEMAKER 39 

When an Indian could strike this kind 
of fire, and warm the hearts not only of his 
own tribe but of all tribes, so that they came 
to love one another, he was a great chief, a 
Peacemaker chief. Such a man would go 
from tribe to tribe, teaching the people how 
they should do, so that all might live in 
peace and plenty, like brothers. 

To be a Peacemaker was the highest 
seat an Indian could take. Few Indians 
became Peacemaker chiefs, and they were 
the great men of the tribe. 

Indian women also might become Peace- 
makers. At one time the Iroquois had a 
Peace Wigwam, where all disputes and 
quarrels were settled. 

The most beautiful, just, and fair-minded 
woman of all the tribes was chosen to sit 
in this wigwam. It was her duty to tend 
the Peace fire, and to see that it never went 
out. She also kept a pot of hominy always 
steaming over the fire. 



IROQUOIS STORIES — .S 



40 



A FIREMAKER AND A PEACEMAKER 



If two Indians had a dispute, it was the 
custom for them to run to the Peacemaker's 
?^^^^=^^- wigwam. They entered 
from opposite sides. In- 
side the wigwam, a deer- 
skin curtain separated 
them from each other. 

The Peacemaker 
would Hsten to the griev- 
ance of the one and then 
to that of the other. Then 
she would draw aside the 
curtain, get the enemies 
together, and settle the 
dispute with justice. 

The two would then eat 
of the hominy, and depart 
in peace, — no longer ene- 
mies, but friends. 
No nation could fight another nation 
without the consent of the Peacemaker. 
Because the peacewomen were wise, and 




A FIREMAKER AND A PEACEMAKER 



41 



just, and kind, and taught men to love, not 
fight each other, the Iroquois were for many 
years at peace. 

But one day, it is said, a Peacewoman 
proved untrue to her trust. She thought 
more of her own happiness than that of the 
nation. 



. A 




s V. 






This woman was very beautiful, and 
the people loved her. For some time she 
sat in the Peace Wigwam, and tended faith- 
fully the Peace fire. 

One day an Oneida and a Cayuga chief 
fell to quarreling. They sought the Peace 
Wigwam. As they entered and saw the 



42 A FIREMAKER AND A PEACEMAKER 

young Peacewoman tending the fire, each 
thought he had never seen a woman 
so beautiful. 

Into the heart of each there leaped the 
desire that she might tend his wigwam fire. 

The Peacemaker listened to the quarrel 
of the young chiefs and settled it justly. 
Then each tried to persuade her to leave the 
Peace fire and return with him to his lodge. 
But the Peacemaker said, '' No, I must 
tend the fire, it must be kept burning." 
The chiefs departed with heavy hearts. 

But the Oneida chief could not forget 
the beautiful woman. When a moon had 
passed, he returned to the Peace Wigwam. 
This time he persuaded the Peacemaker 
to leave her fire and return with him to sit 
at his wigwam door. 

The Peace fire flickered and went out. 
The Iroquois again went on the warpath, 
and for many, many moons, they fought 
and suffered and died. 



IROQUOIS WONDER STORIES 





HOW THE WHITE MAN CAME 

Long, long before Columbus came to 
America, the Red Children were here. 
They were the first and only real Americans. 

From the Big Sea Water on the east to 
the Big Sea Water on the west, ranged 
these Children of the Sun, as they called 
themselves. 

Happy and free as the sunlight and air 
about them, they ran through wide forests 
all their own, or plied their bark canoes up 
and down the streams. 

Then the Indian had a dream. This 
was long before Columbus dreamed his 
dream of the Western World. 

In his dream the Indian saw a great 
White Bird coming out of the east. Its 
wings were stretched wide to the north and 

45 



46 HOW THE WHITE MAN CAME 

south. . With great strength and speed, it 
swept toward the setting sun. 

In fear and wonder the Indian watched 
this giant White Bird appear and disappear. 
He knew its meaning, and the Indian's 
heart was sad. 

Then the White man came. From the 
Big Sea Water on the east he came, in 
his great white-winged canoe. With one 
hand pointing to the Great Spirit, and 
with the other extended to the Red man 
he came. He asked for a small seat. A 
seat the size of a buffalo skin would be 
quite large enough for him, he said. 

In the name of the Great Spirit, the 
Red Children greeted the White man, and 
called him '' brother." They gave him the 
seat he asked. They gave him a large 
buffalo skin also, and showed him where 
he could spread it by their council fire. 

The White man took the buffalo skin. 
He thanked his Red brother in the name 



HOW THE WHITE MAN CAME 



47 



of the Great Spirit. Then he began to 
cut the skin into many, many small strips. 




When the whole buffalo skin had been 
cut into narrow strips, he tied the strips 
together. They made a long cord that 
would reach over a long trail. 

In amazement the Indians watched the 
White man while he measured off a seat 
as long and as broad as this cord would 
reach around. The ''small seat," the size 
of a buffalo skin, became a tract of land. 

Soon the White man asked for another 
seat. This time his seat took in the In- 
dians' lodges and camp fire. He asked the 
Indians if they would move on a few arrow 
flights. This they did. 



48 



HOW THE WHITE MAN CAME 



Then the White man wanted another 
seat. Each time it took a larger skin for 
him to sit upon. This time the skin 
stretched so far that it covered a part of 
the Indians' hunting and fishing grounds. 

Again the Indians moved on. Again 
the White man followed. Each time his 
seat grew larger, until the Indian had a 
place but the size of a buffalo skin on 
which to sit. 

Thus it was that the White man came. 
Like a great White Bird that swept from 
the Big Sea Water on the east to the Big 
Sea Water on the west, the White man 
came; and he drove the Indian from the 
rising to the setting sun. 




'MM.^i,^-^»m 



WHY THE EAGLE DEFENDS 
AMERICANS 

Many, many moons before the White 
man came, a Httle Indian boy was left in 
the woods. It was in the days w^hen 
animals and men understood each other 
better than they do now. 

An old mother bear found the little 
Indian boy. 

She felt very sorry for him. She told 
the little boy not to cry, for she would take 
him home with her; she had a nice wig- 
wam in the hollow of a big tree. 

Old Mother Bear had two cubs of her 
own, but she had a place between her great 
paws for a third.. She took the little papoose, 
and she hugged him warm and close. She 
fed him as she did her own little cubs. 

The boy grew strong. He was very hap- 
py with his adopted mother and brothers. 

49 



50 



WHY THE EAGLE DEFENDS AMERICANS 



They had a warm lodge in the hollow 
of the great tree. As they grew older, 

Mother Bear 
found for them 
all the honey 
and nuts that 
they could eat. 
From sunrise 
to sunset, the 
little Indian 
boy played with 
his cub brothers. 
He did not know 
that he was different from them. He 
thought he was a little bear, too. All day 
long, the boy and the little bears played and 
had a good time. They rolled, and tumbled. 





and wrestled in the forest leaves. They 
chased one another up and down the bear 
tree. 



WHY THE EAGLE DEFENDS AMERICANS 5 1 

Sometimes they had a matched game 
of hug, for every little bear must learn 
to hug. The one who could hug the 
longest and the tightest won the game. 

Old Mother Bear watched her three 
dear children at their play. She would have 
been content and happy, but for one thing. 
She was afraid some harm would come 
to the boy. Never could she quite for- 
get the bear hunters. Several times they 
had scented her tree, but the wind had 
thrown them off the trail. 

Once, from her bear-tree window, she 
had thrown out rabbit hairs as she saw 
them coming. The wind had blown the 
rabbit hairs toward the hunters. As they 
fell near the hunters, they had suddenly 
changed into rabbits and the hunters 
had given chase. 

At another time, Mother Bear tossed 
some partridge feathers to the wind as 
the hunters drew near her tree. A flock 



52 WHY THE EAGLE DEFENDS AMERICANS 

of partridges went whirring into the 
woods with a great noise, and the hunt- 
ers ran after them. 




But on this day, Mother Bear's heart 
was heavy. She knew that now the big 
bear hunters were coming. No rabbits 
or partridges could lead these hunters 
from the bear trail, for they had dogs 
with four eyes. (Foxhounds have a 
yellow spot over each eye which makes 
them seem double-eyed.) These dogs 
were never known to miss a bear tree. 
Sooner or later they would scent it. 

Mother Bear thought she might be 
able to save herself and her cubs. But 
what would become of the boy? She 
loved him too well to let the bear hunt- 
ers kill him. 



WHY THE EAGLE DEFENDS AMERICANS 



53 



Just then the porcupine, the Chief of the 
animals, passed by the bear tree. Mother 
Bear saw him. 
She put her 
head out the 
bear-tree win- 
dow and called 
to him. He 
came and sat 
under the bear- 
tree window, 
and listened to 
Mother Bear's "^ ' ^ 

story of her fears for the boy. 

When she had finished. Chief Porcupine 
said he would call a council of the animals, 
and see if they could not save the boy. 

Now the Chief had a big voice. As 
soon as he raised his voice, even the ani- 
mals away on the longest trails heard. 
They ran at once and gathered under 
the council tree. There was a loud roar, 




54 WHY THE EAGLE DEFENDS AMERICANS 

and a great flapping of wings, for the 
birds came, too. 

Chief Porcupine told them about the 
fears of Mother Bear, and of the danger 
to the boy. 

"Now," said the Chief, "which one of 
you will take the boy, and save him from 
the bear hunters?" 

It happened that some animals were 
present that were jealous of man. These 
animals had held more than one secret 
council, to plan how they could do away 
with him. They said he was becoming 
too powerful. He knew all they knew, — 
and more. 

The beaver did not like man, because 
men could build better houses than he. 

The fox said that man had stolen his 
cunning, and could now outwit him. 

The wolf and the panther objected to 
man, because he could conceal himself 
and spring with greater surety than they. 



. 



56 WHY THE EAGLE DEFENDS AMERICANS 

The raccoon said that man was more 
daring, and could climb higher than he. 

The deer complained that man could 
outrun him. 

So when Chief Porcupine asked who 
would take the boy and care for him, 
each of these animals in turn said that 
he would gladly do so. 

Mother Bear sat by and listened as 
each offered to care for the boy. She did 
not say anything, but she was thinking 
hard, — for a bear. At last she spoke. 

To the beaver she said, ''You cannot 
'take the boy; you will drown him on 
the way to your lodge." 

To the fox she said, ''You cannot 
take him ; you would teach him to cheat 
and steal, while pretending to be a friend ; 
neither can the wolf or the panther have 
him, for they are counting on having 
something good to eat. 

'•You, deer, lost your upper teeth for 



W^Y THE EAGLE DEFENDS AMERICANS 57 

eating human flesh. And, too, you have 
no home, you are a tramp. 

"And you, raccoon, I cannot trust, for 
you would coax him to climb so high 
that he would fall and die. 

'* No, none of you can have the boy." 

Now a great bird that lives in the 
sky had flown into the council tree, while 
the animals were speaking. But they 
had not seen him. 

When Mother Bear had spoken, this 
wise old eagle flew down, and said, 
"Give the boy to me. Mother Bear. No 
bird is so swift and strong as the eagle. 
I will protect him. On my great wings 
I will bear him far away from the bear 
hunters. 

" I will take him to the wigwam of an 
Indian friend, where a little Indian boy 
is wanted." 

Mother Bear looked into the eagle's keen 
eyes. She saw that he could see far. 

lEOQUOIS STORIES — 4 



58 WHY THE EAGLE DEFENDS AMERICANS 

Then she said, '^Take him, eagle, I 
trust him to you. I know you will pro- 
tect the boy." 

The eagle spread wide his great wings. 
Mother Bear placed the boy on his back, 
and away they soared, far from the coun- 
cil woods. 

The eagle left the boy, as he had prom- 
ised, at the door of a wigwam where a 
little Indian boy was wanted. 

This was the first young American to 
be saved by an American eagle. 

The boy grew to be a noble chief and 
a great hunter. No hunter could hit a 
bear trail so soon as. he, for he knew 
just where and how to find the bear 
trees. But never was he known to cut 
down a bear tree, or to kill a bear. 

However, many were the wolf, panther, 
and deerskins that hung in his lodge. 
The hunter's wife sat and made warm 
coats from the fox and beaver skins 



WHY THE EAGLE DEFENDS AMERICANS 



59 



which the hunter father brought in from 
the chase. But never was the hunter, 
his wife, or his children seen to wear a 
bear-skin coat. 



HOW THE TURKEY BUZZARD 
GOT HIS SUIT 

It was a long, long time ago, when 

the earth was very young. Trees and 

flowers were 

growing every- 

where, but 

there were no 

birds. One 

morning the 

Great Spirit 

drew back the 

blanket from the door of his wigwam in 

the sky. He looked upon the earth and 

smiled, for he saw that his work was 

good. 

" Today," thought he, *' I will make big 

butterflies, to fly in and out among the 

beautiful trees and flowers of the earth. 

They shall sing as they fly." 

60 




HOW THE TURKEY BUZZARD GOT HIS SUIT 6l 

Then the Great Spirit spoke, and the 
tree tops were full of birds, — but they 
had no feathers. 

All day he watched them fly and 
listened to their songs. But their naked 
bodies and long legs did not please him. 
Before the sun had set he had made 
feathered suits, of every size and color, 
to cover them. 

That night, as the birds hid their heads 
under their wings, the Great Spirit spoke 
to them. He told about the feathered 
suits he had made for them, and where 
these suits could be found. 

A council was called next day by the 
birds. They chose Gali gali go wall, the 
Turkey Buzzard, to get the suits. He 
could fly over a long trail and not be tired. 

The birds told him that if he would 
go, he might have the first choice of the 
suits of feathers, but he must try on no 
suit more than once. 



62 HOW THE TURKEY BUZZARD GOT HIS SUIT 

Turkey Buzzard promised and set out 
toward the setting sun. Twice the sun 
set, and three times it rose, before 
he found the feathered suits. There 
were many of them, and they were very 
beautiful. He could not make up his 
mind which one he would like best to 
wear. 

Then he remembered that he could try 
on each suit of feathers once. So he 
began to put them on. 

The feathers of the first suit were too 
long. They trailed on the ground as he 
walked. Neither could he fly well in 
them. Turkey Buzzard laid that suit 
aside. 

The next suit shone like gold. The 
feathers were a beautiful yellow. Turkey 
Buzzard put it on and strutted up and 
down the forest. 

"Oh, how handsome I am!" he said. 
"But I must not keep this, for if I did, 



HOW THE TURKEY BUZZARD GOT HIS SUIT 63 

I should shine so like the face of the 
Great Spirit, that all the other birds would 
see me." 

And he slipped off the suit of yellow 
feathers as quickly as possible. 

A third suit was of pure white feathers. 
Turkey Buzzard thought it looked very 
beautiful. It was a perfect fit. 

"But it will get dirty too soon," he 
said. " I will not choose this." 

And this, too, was laid aside. 

There were not enough feathers in the 
fourth suit. Turkey Buzzard shivered 
with cold. It was not warm enough. 
He would not have it. 

There were too many feathers, and too 
many pieces, in the fifth suit. It took 
too much time to put it on. Turkey 
Buzzard did not want that. 

So he went from one suit to another, 
trying on and taking off. Always he 
had some new fault to find. Something 



64 HOW THE TURKEY BUZZARD GOT HIS SUIT 

was wrong with each one. Nothing 
quite pleased him. No suit was just 
right. 

At last there was but one suit left. 
It was not pretty. It was a plain, dull 
color, — and very short of feathers at the 
neck and head. Turkey Buzzard put it 
on. He did not like it. It did not fit 
him well: It was cut too low in the 
neck. Turkey Buzzard thought it was 
the homeliest suit of all. But it was the 
last suit, so he kept it on. 

Then Gah gah go wall, the Turkey 
Buzzard, gathered up the suits and flew 
back to the bird lodge. He still wore 
the plain, dull-colored suit. 

The birds again called a council. Each 
was told to select a suit from those 
that Gah gah go wah had brought, and 
put it on. This they did. 

Then the birds in their beautiful feath- 
ered suits began to walk and fly about 



HOW THE TURKEY BUZZARD GOT HIS SUIT 65 

the Turkey Buzzard, and to make fun of 
his plain, dull dress. 

But Gah gall go wah held his head 
high. He walked proudly about among 
the birds. He looked with scorn on 
their beautiful suits. After a time he 
spoke. 

He said, '' Gah gah go wah, the Turkey 
Buzzard, does not want your suits. He 
had the pick of them all. He likes his 
own suit best." 

Adapted from Erminie Smith's Myths of the Iroquois. 




WHY THE PARTRIDGE DRUMS 




It was after the Great Spirit had made 
all the beautiful birds, that the Evil Spirit 

came along. 
He saw the 
beautiful 
birds and 
heard their 
beautiful 
songs. He 
saw that the 
earth people liked the birds and liked to 
hear them sing. 

Now the Evil Spirit did not wish peo- 
ple to be happy, so he said, '' I will 
make a bird that will make people afraid. 
I will make a big bird that will not sing, 
but will make a great noise.^' 

So the Evil Spirit went to work. In 
a short time he had made a big bird, 
that could not sing, but could drum. 

66 



WHY THE PARTRIDGE DRUMS 67 

The big bird flew away into the wood. 
That night a drumming noise was heard 
in the wood. The people were afraid. 
They could not sleep, because of the noise. 

In the morning, they went into the 
w^oods to search for the noise. Deep in 
the forest could still be heard that 
strange drumming. They followed it, 
until they came to a deep, dark place in 
the woods. There was a loud fluttering 
and whirring of wings, and a great bird 
flew out from among them, along the 
ground and over the trees. 

The people were afraid. They called 
to the Great Spirit to help them. 

The Great Spirit was near. He heard 
their cry, and went after the bird, for he 
was very angry. 

The Great Spirit said, ^' I will not have 
my people frightened by this great bird; 
it shall die." 

The big bird gave the Great Spirit a 



68 WHY THE PARTRIDGE DRUMS 

long chase. At last the Great Spirit 
came upon it. He seized it, and threw 
it against a large tree. 

As the big bird struck the tree, drops 
of blood flew in all directions. They 
changed into smaller birds that went whir- 
ring into the woods, just as the big bird 
had done. There they began to drum. 

Like the big bird, these smaller birds 
like to startle people. They flutter out 
from under the leaves, and with a whir- 
ring noise they fly far into the wood. 
There they perch on an old log, or a 
rock, and drum with their wings. 

Some of the earth people say they are 
drumming for their mates. But others 
still think that the birds drum to make 
people afraid. 

So this is how the Indians say the 
partridges came to be. This is why they 
drum, and why some of the earth chil- 
dren still love to hunt partridges. 



HOW THE INDIANS LEARNED 
TO HEAL 

A long, long time ago, some Indians 
were running along a trail that led to an 
Indian settlement. As 
they ran, a rabbit jumped 
from the bushes and sat 
before them. 

The Indians stopped, 
for the rabbit still sat up 
before them and did not 
move from the trail. They 
shot their arrows at him, 
but the arrows came back 
unstained with blood. 

A second time they drew their arrows. 
Now no rabbit was to be seen. Instead, 
an old man stood on the trail. He 
seemed to be weak and sick. 

The old man asked them for food and 
69 




Medicine Rattle 



70 HOW THE INDIANS LEARNED TO HEAL 




a place to rest. They would not listen 
but went on to the settlement. 

Slowly the old man followed them, 
down the trail to the wigwam village. 
In front of each wigwam, he saw a skin 
placed on a pole. This he knew was the 
sign of the clan to which the dwellers in 
that wigwam belonged. 

First he stopped at a wigwam where 
a wolf skin hung. He asked to enter, 
but they would not let him. They said, 
"We want no sick men here." 

On he went toward another wigwam. 
Here a turtle's shell was hanging. But 
this family would not let him in. 

He tried a wigwam where he saw a 
beaver skin. He was told to move on. 

The Indians who lived in a wigwam 



HOW THE INDIANS LEARNED TO HEAL 7 1 




where a deer skin was seen, were just as 
unkind. Nor was he permitted to enter 
wigwams where hung hawk, snipe, and 
heron skins. 

At last he came to a wigwam where 
a bear skin hung. 

" I will ask once more for a place to 
rest," he thought. 

And here a kind old woman lived. She 
brought food for him to eat, and spread 
soft skins for him to lie upon. 

The old man thanked her. He said that 
he was very sick. He told the woman 
what plants to gather in the wood, to 
make him well again. 

This she did, and soon he was healed. 

A few days later the old man was again 
taken sick. Again he told the woman what 



72 



HOW THE INDIANS LEARNED TO HEAL 




roots and leaves to gather. She did as 
she was told, and soon he was well. 

Many times the old man fell sick. 
Each time he had a different sickness. 
Each time he told the 
woman what plants and 
herbs to find to cure 
him. Each time she 
remembered what she 
had been told. 

Soon this woman of 
the Bear clan knew more about healing 
than all the other people. 

One day, the old man told her that the 
Great Spirit had sent him to earth, to teach 
the Indian people the secrets of healing. 
" I came, sick and hungry, to many a 
wigwam door. No blanket was drawn 
aside for me to pass in. You alone 
lifted the blanket from your wigwam 
door and bade me enter. 

"You are of the Bear clan, therefore 



HOW TIIR INDIANS LEARNED TO IIEAl. 73 

all other clans shall come to the Bear 
clan for help in sickness. 

*'You shall teach all the clans what 
plants, and roots, and leaves to gather, 
that the sick may be healed. 

'' And the Bear shall be the * greatest 
and strongest of the clans." 

The Indian woman lifted her face to 
the Great Spirit to thank him for this 
great gift and knowledge of healing. 
When she turned again to the man, he 
had disappeared. 

No one was there, but a rabbit was 
running swiftly down the trail. 




MiiDiciNK Mask. 



WHY DOGS CHASE FOXES 

A fox was running through the wood 
near a river. He had a fish in his 
mouth. 

The fish had been stolen from an In- 
dian who lived down the stream. The 
fox had been passing near the Indian's 
wigwam. He saw the fish hanging by 
the fire. It was cleaned and ready to 
cook. 

"What a tasty breakfast!" thought the 
fox. " I think I will watch the man eat." 

Soon the Indian went into the wigwam. 
The fox slipped up to the fire. He seized 
the fish, and ran away with it. 

When the Indian came back, he had no 
breakfast. The fish was gone. No fox 
was to be seen. 

The fox ran along, feeling much pleased 
with himself. 

IROQUOIS STORIES — 5 75 



76 WHY DOGS CHASE FOXES 

" What a cunning fox I am," he chuckled. 
"I will play another foxy trick. This time 
it shall be on the bear I see coming." 

He ran up a tree that had been bent half 
way to earth by the West Wind. There 
he began to eat his fish. He smacked his 
lips so loudly that the bear heard him. 

The bear stopped under the tree, and 
asked, "What are you eating that tastes 
so good?" 

For answer the fox threw down a bit of 
the fish. The bear smacked his lips and 
cried, "More! More!" 

"Go to the river, swim out to the big 
log, and catch your own fish," called the 
fox. "Its very easy! Just drop your tail 
into the water. Hold it there till a fish 
comes along and bites, then pull it up. 
That is the way I catch my fish. You 
can catch all the fish you want with your 
own tail." 

The bear hurried on to the river. He 



WHY DOGS CHASE FOXES 77 

swam to the log and dropped his tail into 
the water, as the fox had advised. 

All day he sat and fished with his tail, — 
for bears then had very long tails. 

The sun set, but no fish had pulled his 
tail. All night the bear sat on the log and 
fished. Cold North Wind blew his breath 
over the water. The river grew still and 
white. 

Towards morning, the bear felt that his 
tail was getting very heavy. Now at last 
he was sure he had a fish. He tried to 
pull it up. But alas! his tail was frozen 
fast in the ice. 

Then the fox came along. He laughed 
long and loudly at the bear, and asked if 
the fishing was good. 

Some dogs heard the fox, and came 
tearing through the thick underbrush. 
They saw the fox and started after him. 

The fox slyly led them on to the frozen 
river toward the bear. The bear saw them 



78 WHY DOGS CHASE FOXES 

coming, and called to the fox to go around 
some other way. The fox made believe 
he did not hear, and came straight on to 
the bear to ask him what he had said. 

The dogs leaped upon the bear. The 
bear struggled. He gave one great pull, 
and freed himself from the ice. He struck 
at the dogs so fiercely with his great paws, 
that they soon left him, and went on after 
the fox. 

Dogs have been running after foxes ever 
since. 

When the bear got his breath, he stood 
up and looked around at his tail. He 
found he had only a small piece left. 
Most of his tail had been left in the ice. 

This is why bears have short tails, and 
why dogs still love to chase the fox. 



WHY HERMIT THRUSH IS 
SO SHY 




Some moons after the council when the 
birds chose their feathered suits, a second 
council was called. The purpose of this 
council was to see which bird could fly 
to heaven, and bring a song to earth. 

When all the birds had arrived and 
were perched upon the council tree, the 
wise old owl spoke. 

" Friends and brothers, listen," said the 
owl. " Many of you have strong wings, 

79 



80 WHY HERMIT THRUSH IS SO SHY 

but your voices are not beautiful. High, 
high up in the sky, a long trail beyond 
the clouds, is the Happy Hunting Ground. 

"There live all our brothers of the wood, 
whom the Great Spirit has called. They 
sing songs more beautiful than any heard 
on earth. 

" The bird that can fly beyond the clouds 
will hear that singing. He shall bring 
a song to earth. Who will fly the Great 
Sky Trail, and bring a song to earth? 
Who-whoo ! Who-whoo ! Who-whoo ! " 

At this, all the birds that were swift of 
wing flew high in the air. They circled 
round and round to show their skill. 
Then they disappeared in the clouds. 

But one by one they dropped to earth; 
for when they had reached the Great Sky 
Trail beyond the clouds, they were too 
tired to take it. 

At last the eagle arose and stretched his 
great wings. 



WHY HERMIT THRUSH IS SO SHY 8 1 

'' Listen," he said, ''for the Chief of Birds 
speaks. No other bird is so swift and so 
strong as the eagle. He has circled the 
earth. He has flown to the rim of the 
world. The eagle will fly the Great Sky 
Trail and bring the song to earth." 

A little brown thrush sat near the eagle. 

"Oh," he thought, "how I would like 
to bring that song to earth!" 

But he was so small, and his wings 
were so tired! 

Then an idea popped into the little 
brown head of the thrush. He hopped 
softly to the back of the eagle, and hid 
in the thick feathers near the neck. So 
small and light was the thrush, that the 
eagle did not feel his weight. He did not 
know that the little brown thrush was on 
his back, — and the other birds did not tell 
him. 

The eagle spread his great wings. Up, 
and up, and up, they soared. The council 



82 



WHY HERMIT THRUSH IS SO SHY 



wood became a little speck and then 

was seen no more. 

Over, and under, and 

through the clouds, 

on, and on, and on, 

they sailed, along 

the Great Sky 

Trail. 

last the eagle's 

strength began to fail. 

He could go no further. 

The great wings of the 

chief of birds could beat 

the air no longer. They 

fell at his side. 

The little brown thrush 
felt the eagle quiver and begin 
to drop toward the earth. 

Then away flew the little 
brown thrush. The air was so 
light it seemed easy to fly. On 
and on he went, for he was not 




WHY HERMIT THRUSH IS SO SHY 83 

tired. He had had a ride ahiiost to 
heaven. 

" Now," he thought, " I will go on and 
will get the song." 

For some time, the little brown thrush 
flew along the Great Sky Trail. All at 
once the air seemed full of song. He 
knew he was nearing the Happy Hunting 
Ground. 

He listened. One song seemed more 
beautiful to him than the rest. Again 
and again he listened. He caught the 
notes. He sang them many times, until 
he was sure that he could carry the song 
to earth. 

Then down, and down, and down, he 
floated, through clouds and storms and 
sunshine, back to Mother Earth. 

Very happy, he flew toward the council 
wood. He was so full of his beautiful song 
and the wonderful Sky Trail, he thought 
he must pour out his song at once. 



84 WHY HERMIT THRUSH IS SO SHY 

But when he reached the council wood, 
he dared not open his mouth! He re- 
membered that he had stolen his ride part 
way to heaven, — and he knew the other 
birds knew it. 

But that song! he must sing it! He 
thought his throat would burst, if he did 
not sing ! 

So the little brown thrush flew off by 
himself, into a deep, dark part of the wood. 
There, hidden by the brush . and the 
bushes, he poured forth the song he had 
heard on the Great Sky Trail. 

Men hearing it to-day, say, "Listen, a 
hermit thrush! What a beautiful song! 
But he is such a shy bird, one seldom 
can catch a glimpse of him." 

They do not know why he keeps so 
close under cover. 



HOW GOOD AND EVIL CAME 
TO BE 

Every boy has wondered how there 
came to be two of him. 

Every girl has puzzled over how she 
happened to be twins. Sometimes she is 
the good girl, — sometimes a naughty one. 

The Indians say this is how it happened. 

The world was very young. There was 
no earth, only a cloud-like sea. 

The sea was filled with water animals, 
and water birds flew over it. All was 
dark. Light had not yet come. 

Then the cloud-sea began to call for 
light. The Great Spirit heard, and said, 
'' It shall be so. I will make a new place 
for man to live in." 

The Great Spirit called the beautiful 
Sky Mother to Him. Her face was like 
the sun, she was so light of heart. 

«5 



§6 HOW GOOD AND EVIL CAME TO BE 

The Great Spirit told the Sky Mother 
to look down. She, too, heard the cloud- 
sea calling, and she said, " I will go." 

As she began to descend, the animals 
saw her coming. " See the light," they 
cried. "Where will it rest?" 

One of the water animals said, " I will 
go to the bottom of the sea and get some- 
thing for it to rest on." 

He went down, but he never came back. 

Other animals followed him. But they, 
too, did not come back. 

Then the muskrat said, " I will go. I 
will be the earth bringer." 

He returned, with some mud in his 
mouth and claws. 

'' It will grow fast," he cried, in a w^eak 
voice. ''Who will carry it?" 

The turtle offered his back. As the 
muskrat placed the mud on the turtle's 
shell he died. But the beaver came and 
slapped the mud down with his tail. 



HOW GOOD AND EVIL CAME TO BE 87 

The mud on the turtle's back grew 
very fast. Soon it was a small island. 
The turtle became the earth bearer. He 
has continued to hold up the earth ever 
since. 

Now, when the sea rises in great waves, 
or the earth shakes, the Indians say, ''The 
turtle is stretching. He is wiggling his 
back!" 

Now, since there was a place for the 
light to rest on, the birds flew up to meet 
it. They found that the light was the 
beautiful Sky Mother. 

Then the birds spread wide their great 
wings, and bore the Sky Mother through 
the air to the cloud-sea. They placed her 
on the island on the turtles back. There 
the Sky Mother had rested some time, 
when she felt something stirring beneath 
her heart. She heard voices. One was 
soft and kind and full of love, the other 
was harsh and quarrelsome. 



88 HOW GOOD AND EVIL CAME TO BE 

Soon the Sky Mother looked into the 
faces of the first-born of earth, for she 
had borne the twin brothers, the spirits 
of Good and Evil. As she looked into 
the face of the Good Mind, she said, 
''You shall be called the Light One." 

Then she looked into the face of his 
brother, and said, "You shall be named 
the Dark One." 

The island became a beautiful land. 

The twin brother Light One grew up 
happy, loving, peaceful, and kind. He 
wanted to make the new land the most 
beautiful place in which to live. The twin 
brother Dark One grew up sullen, quarrel- 
some, hateful, and unkind. He tried to 
make the land the worst place in which 
to live. 

From his mother's beautiful face the 
Light One made the sun. He set it in 
the eastern sky, that it might shine for- 
ever. Then the Dark One put darkness 



HOW GOOD AND EVIL CAME TO BE 89 

in the west to drive the sun from the 
sky. 

The Light One gave his mother's body- 
to the earth, the Great Mother from which 
springs all life. He made great moun- 
tains, and covered them with forests from 
which beautiful rivers ran. The Dark 
One threw down the mountains, gnarled 
the forests, and bent the rivers which his 
brother had made. 

Every beautiful thing which the good 
brother Light One made, the bad brother 
Dark One tried to destroy and ruin. 

And because the first-born of earth were 
the twin spirits, the Good Mind and the 
Evil Mind, there has been a good and 
bad spirit born into every boy and girl 
who has come into the world since. 

So the Indians say! 



HOW A BOY WAS CURED OF 
BOASTING 

There was once an Indian boy, who 
thought he knew more and could do more 
than anyone else. He was so proud of 
himself that he walked around like a great 
chief, who wears a war shirt with many 
scalp locks on it. 

The other Indian boys and girls called 
him Spread Feather, because he strutted 
about like a big turkey or a peacock. 

One day. Spread Feather was playing 
ball with the other boys. Not once had 
he failed to drive or catch the ball with 
his crosse stick. Twice he had thrown 
the ball with such force that some one 
had been hurt. 

Spread Feather grew more and more 

pleased with himself, as he played. He 

began to use tricks and to talk very large. 

90 



92 



now A BOY WAS CURED OF BOASTING 



" No one can play ball 
as I," he said. '' I can 
catch the swiftest ball 
that can be thrown. I 
can throw the ball to the 
sky. I can run faster 
than the deer." 

Spread Feather boasted 
so loudly that a rabbit 
heard him. The rabbit 
came out of the bushes 
and sat up on his hind 
legs. He watched Spread 
Feather play, and 
listened to his boast- 
ing. 

Soon a strange boy 

was standing where the 

rabbit had sat. 

nwtfii^ II The stranger said to 

Spread Feather, " I would like to play 

ball with you." 



HOW A BOY WAS CURED OF KOASTTNG 93 

*'Coinc on, then!" taunted the boastful 
boy. " Spread Feather will show the 
strange ball player how to catch a ball." 

They began to play. 

The stranger could run like a deer. 
His balls were so swift and so curved 
that Spread Feather could not see them. 
He could not catch, one. They seemed 
to come from the sky. 

At last one ball hit Spread Feather on 
the mouth. He fell to the ground. His 
face was red with anger, and his lips 
were red with blood. 

He sprang to his feet and shouted to 
the stranger, ''Though I do not like the 
taste of your ball, yet I can throw you." 

*'Very well, then," said the stranger. 
''We will have a game of 'Catch as catch 
can.'" This is the Indian name for a 
game of wrestling. 

Spread Feather set his feet very hard 
on the ground. 

IROQUOIS STORIES — 6 



94 HOW A BOY WAS CURED OF BOASTING 

'' My legs are as strong as the legs of 
a bear," he boasted. 

They began to wrestle. Soon Spread 
Feather's arms fell at his sides. He panted 
for air. He had no breath and no strength. 

The stranger picked Spread Feather 
up and tossed him over his head like a 
ball. The boy fell without a word. 

When Spread Feather opened his eyes, 
a rabbit sprang into the bushes. 

All night, Spread F'eather lay and 
thought, and thought. He was too weak 
and too sore to go back to his wigwam. 
Nor was he eager to meet the other boys. 

At sunrise a rabbit hopped near. The 
rabbit slyly suggested that he might like 
to play another game of ball. 

The boy sat up and said to the rabbit, 
'' Spread Feather is no more. He no 
longer struts like a turkey. He has 
nothing to say. He will win a new 
name. It will not be Spread Feather." 



WHY THE CUCKOO IS SO LAZY 

The land was lean and hungry. The 
Old Man of the North Lodge had breathed 
upon the valley. His breath had frozen 
the corn, and there was no bread for the 
people. 

The Indian hunters took to the chase. 
They followed every track of deer or 
rabbit. If their arrows brought them 
meat, they threw it over their shoulders 
and ran to the village, that the hungry 
women and children might eat. 

But one Indian remained in his wig- 
wam. He sat by the fire with his wife 
and child, and waited for the hunters to 
bring game. 

This man refused to go on the hunt. 
He was lazy. All day he sat by the fire 
and smoked his pipe. Once in a while, 
he would stir the water in the kettle 

95 



96 



WHY THE CUCKOO IS SO LAZY 



which he kept boiling for the meat that 
he hoped the hunters might bring. When- 
ever the child, his little son, begged him 
for food, he would say, " It isn't done 
yet." 

At last the little Indian boy grew so 
sick and faint for want of food that he 
cried aloud. 

The lazy Indian father w^as angry. He 
seized the pudding stick, and struck the 




child to the ground. Instantly a bird flew 
up and perched on the pole over the fire, 
from which the kettle hung. 



WHY 'JII1<: CUCKOO IS so LAZY 97 

"Now it's done!" said the bird solemnly, 
for it did not seem to have a light heart 
like other birds. 

Now, strange as it may seem this father 
was no longer cruel and lazy. His lazy 
spirit seemed to have gone. He wanted 
to go at once on the chase, and hunt food 
for his wife and little boy. 

" To-night you shall have deer meat to 
eat," he said, as he spread a soft skin by 
the fire, for the boy to lie on. Then he 
turned to place the child on the skin, — - 
but no bov was there. He had no son. 
Only that strange bird perched, joyless 
and alone, over the fire, on the pole 
from which the kettle hung. 

"Now it's done!" the bird cried again, 
and with that it flew out of the wigwam. 

That spring the Indians discovered a 
new bird in the woods. The bird was 
too lazy to build a real nest. 



98 WHY THE CUCKOO IS SO LAZY 

This bird did not weave together twigs 
and moss, leaves and ferns, bits of hair 
and thistledown, to make a cozy, warm, 
safe nest for its eggs and young, as did 
the other birds. This bird would lay its 
eggs anywhere. Wherever a few sticks 
lay crosswise in a track, or in a little hol- 
low of the ground, or where some twigs 
or dried ferns were caught loosely in a 
bush, there this lazy bird would lay its 
eggs and rear its young. 

It was too 

lazy to build 

a real nest, 

that was safe 

and warm for 

its little ones. 

The Indians called the bird '' the 

cuckoo." But only one Indian knew how 

the cuckoo came to be, and why it is too 

lazy to build a real nest. 




HOW THE COON OUTWITTED 
THE FOX 

A wise old raccoon sat up in a tree 
near the river where the bear lost his 
tail. The coon saw the fox play his foxy 
trick on the bear, and he did not like it. 

"The fox is getting a big head," said 
the coon. "This must not be. His head 
must be made smaller. Some of the fox- 
iness must be taken out of it. He is 
getting too foxy. He thinks he has the 
cunning of all the animals, and that no 
one can outwit him. Some one must play 
a ' fox ' trick on him." 

Not many days later, the coon saw the 
fox coming down the trail. The coon 
was eating some juicy yellow apples that 
he had found on a tree not far away. As 
soon as he saw the fox, he ran up a tree, 

99 



100 HOW THE COON OUTWITTED THE FOX 

and began to smack his lips as the fox 
had done to tempt the bear. 

The fox stopped under the tree, just 
as the bear had stopped. 

"What tastes so good?" he asked. 
For answer the coon threw down an 
apple to the fox, just as the fox had 
thrown the piece of fish down to the bear. 
The fox took the apple and ate it. 
"Fine! Fine!" said the fox, when he 
had finished the last mouthful. "Where 
did you get it?" 

The coon then told the fox how to find 
the apple tree. He must follow the trail 
along the river, down to the pine bluff. 

Then he must 
climb the bluff 
and run toward 
the setting sun, 
until he came 
to an open field. 
In the center of 







HOW THE COON OUTWITTED THE FOX lOI 

that field stood a -.:^ 



great apple tree. It 
was filled with juicy 
yellow apples. 

"But you can 
climb the tree and 
pick your own 
apples. How can I 
get them off the tree?" whined the fox. 

''Oh, that's easy," said the coon. "Just 
back off two bow shots from the tree, 
then lower your head, — so. Run hard 
and butt the tree with your head. You 
have such a big head, it will shake the 
tree so hard that all the apples wilj fall 
at once. Do as I tell you, and you will 
have all the apples you want for a long 
time." 

The fox thanked the coon and started 
at once. 

He found the apple tree, just as the 
coon had said. 



I02 Plow THE COON OUTWITTED THE FOX 

"What a fine open place to run in," 
thought the fox. " I will get such a fine 
start that when I hit the tree it will 
shake the world." 

Already he began, in his mind, to see 
the apples falling, like pine needles, and 
to feel the earth shake under his feet. 

The fox did as the coon had told him. 
One arrow flight he backed off, then an- 
other. Then he closed his eyes, lowered 
his head, and ran swiftly over the thick 
grass. He struck the tree as hard as 
ever he could, with his big head. 

Not an apple fell, but a dazed, foolish- 
looking fox fell to the ground. 

Next morning as the sun rose, a shame- 
faced fox was seen running toward the 
woods beyond the pine bluff. He carried 
his head low, and he seemed to be playing 
no foxy tricks. 



WHY THE GOLDFINCHES LOOK 
LIKE THE SUN 

It was some moons after the coon out- 
witted the fox, before they again met. 
The coon was hurrying by, when the fox 
saw him. 

Now the fox had not forgotten the trick 
the coon had played on him. His head 
was still sore from that great thump 
against the apple tree. So the fox started 
after the coon. He was gaining, and would 
have caught him, had they not come to a 
tall pine tree. 

The coon ran to the very tiptop of the 
pine tree. There he was safe, for the fox 
could not climb. 

The fox lay down on the soft pine 
needles and waited for the coon to come 
down. The coon stayed up in the pine 
tree so long that the fox grew tired and 



104 ^^'HY THE GOLDFINCHES LOOK LIKE THE SUN 

sleepy. He closed his eyes and thought 
he would take a short nap. 

The coon watched, until he saw that the 
fox was sound asleep.^ Then he took in his 
mouth some of the pitch from the pine 
tree. He ran down the tree and rubbed the 
pitch over the eyes of the sleeping fox. 

The fox awoke. He sprang up and 
tried to seize the coon, but, alas ! he could 
not see what he was doing. The lids of 
his eyes were held fast with the pine gum. 
He could not open them. 

The coon laughed at the fox's plight, 
then ran and left him. 

The fox lay for some time under the tree. 
The pine gum, as it dried, held the lids of 
his eyes closer and closer shut. He thought 
he should never again see the sun. 

Some birds were singing near by. He 
called them, and told them of his plight. 
He asked if they would be so kind as 
to pick open his eyes. 



WHY THE GOLDFINCHES LOOK LIKE THE SUN IO5 

The birds flew off and told the other 
birds. Soon many of the little dark song- 
sters flew back to where the fox lay. 
Then peck, peck, peck, went the little bills 
on the eyelids of the fox. Bit by bit they 
carefully pecked away the pine gum. If 
one grew tired, another bird would take 
its place. 

i 




At last the fox saw a streak of light. 
Soon the lid of one eye flew open, then 
the other. The sun was shining, and the 
world looked very beautiful to the fox, 
as he opened his eyes. 

He was very grateful to the little birds 
for bringing him light. He told them to 
ask what they would, and he would give 
it to them. 



106 WHY Till': GOLDFINCHES LOOK LIKE THE SUN 

The little birds said, "We do not like 
the plain, dark suits which the Turkey 
Buzzard brought us. Make us look like 
the sun we have brought to you." 

The fox looked about him. Beautiful 
yellow flowers were growing near. He 
pressed some of the sun color from them, 
and with the tip of his tail as a brush, 
he began to paint the dark little birds 
like the sun. 

The birds fluttered so with joy, he 
thought he would paint the bodies first. 
Before he could brush the wings and tails 
with the sun paint, each little bird had 
darted away, like a streak of sunshine. 
So happy and light of heart were the 
birds, that they could not wait for the 
fox to finish the painting. 

This is why goldfinches are yellow like 
the sun. It is why they have black wings 
and tails, why they flutter so with joy, and 
why they never finish their song. 



WHAT THE ASH AND THE 
MAPLE LEARNED 

Long ago, birds, trees, animals, and men 
knew each the language of the other, and 
all could talk together. 

In those days, the trees of the forest 
grew very large and strong. At last they 
came to know their strength too well. 
They became selfish, and proud, and 
quarrelsome. Each tree boasted that he 
was the greatest and strongest. Each 
one struggled to gain for himself the 
most earth, the best air, the brightest sun. 
No tree had a thought for the other. 

One day the trunk of a great Maple 

tried to crowd out an Ash. The Ash, of 

course, thought he had as much right to 

stand there as the Maple, and he said he 

would not stir a limb. 

107 



I08 WHAT THE ASH AND THE MAPLE LEARNED 

" Get out of my way," cried the Maple. 
'' I am greater than you, and of more use 
to man; for I furnish the sweet water for 
him to drink." 

"Indeed, I will not!" said the Ash. "I 
am greater than you, and of more use to 
man than you ; for I furnish the tough 
wood from which he makes his bow." 

At this the trees fell to wrestling. Back 
and forth, in and out they swayed, each 
trying to throw the other. They forgot 
that they were brothers in the wood. 

Then the South Wind came along. He 
heard the loud voices and stopped to find 
out what the quarrel was about. 

" I am greater than you, for I furnish 
the sweet water for man to drink," came 
the angry voice of the Maple, as he threw 
his huge trunk against the Ash. 

'' No, you are not," retorted the Ash, and 
he sent the Maple back with a great push 
of his strong elbow. '' I am greater than 



WHAT THE ASH AND THE MAPLE LEARNED lOQ 




you, for I furnish the tough wood from 
which he makes his bow." 

For a time, 
the South f't --^.p^-^»^_^.f:.; 
Wind watched 
them writhe 
and twist and 
try to throw each other to the ground. 
Then he said, softly, "You, O Maple, do 
not cause the sweet water to flow for man; 
nor do you, O Ash, make your wood to 
grow pliant and tough for his bow." 

"Who does, then?" they asked defiantly. 

"Listen," said the South Wind, "and 
you shall hear." 

Then the Maple and Ash forgot their 
quarrel. They bent their heads so low and 
close to listen, that an arm of the Maple 
slipped through an arm of the Ash. 

And as they stood thus listening, each 
with an arm locked in an arm of the other, 
the South Wind gently swayed them to 




no 



W^AT THE ASH AND THE MAPLE LEARNED III 

and fro. Then a voice was heard, singing, 
''San 7ioh-eh! San noh-eh! San noh-ehf' 
which means, "The Mother of all things." 

Thus it was that the Ash and the Maple 
learned that it was Mother Earth who 
gave them their life, and power, and 
strength, and that they were brothers, 
because they had one Mother. 

The Ash and the Maple whispered the 
secret to the birds. The birds came and 
listened to the voice, and went and told 
the animals. The animals came and 
listened, and went and told men. And 
thus all the earth children learned that 
there is one Great Mother of every living 
thing, and that all are brothers. 

And now, whenever two trees lock arms 
lovingly, and the South Wind sways them 
gently to and fro, that same voice may be 
heard, singing, ''San noh-eh! San noh-eh! 
San noh-eh!'' 

IROQUOIS STORIES — 7 



HOW THE WOMAN OVERCAME 
THE BEAR 

An Indian woman built a wigwam in 
the deep wood. She was a brave woman. 
She had no fear. 

One night, she heard something coming 
along the trail. Thump, thump, thump, 
it came, to the very door of her wigwam. 

There was a rap. 

'' Come in," said the woman, but no one 
entered. 

Again there came a rap. 

Again the woman called, "Come in." 
Again the latch was not lifted. 

A third time the rap came. A third 
time the woman called, ''Come in," but 
no one entered. 

Then the strange thump, thump, thump, 
was heard going down the trail. 

112 



HOW THE WOMAN OVERCAME THE BEAR II3 

The next night, the same thing occurred. 
Soon after dark, the woman heard the 
thump, thump, thump, coming along the 
trail. Up to the very door of the wigwam 
it came. 

Three times, a rap, rap, rap, was heard 
as before. Three times the woman an- 
swered, '' Come in," but no one entered. 

Then the same strange thump, thump, 
thump, was heard going down the trail 
again. 

The third night, the woman thought 
she would make sure who was calling. 
She stood for a long time, with her hand 
on the latch. 

At last she heard the visitor coming. 
Thump, thump, thump, it came along the 
trail. There w^ere three raps. 

''Come in," called the woman, but the 
latch did not move in her hand. She 
waited. Again came the raps. 

This time she threw wide open the door, 



114 HOW THE WOMAN OVERCAME THE BEAR 

and there stood a great black bear. He 
showed his sharp teeth and growled, "Are 
you at home?" 

The woman looked him straight in the 
eye and replied, " I am at home." 

At once the bear turned on his heel 
and went down the trail, as fast as he 
could go. 

Never again did the woman hear that 
strange thump, thump, thump; and never 
again did the bear call to see if she were 
at home. 








WHY THE WOODPECKER 
BORES FOR ITS FOOD 

Once upon a time, the Great Spirit left 
the Happy Hunting Ground and came 
to earth. He took the form of a poor, 
hungry man. He went from wigwam to 
wigwam, asking for food. 

Sometimes he found the Indians sitting 
around the fire, telling stories and talking 
of the Great Spirit. Then the man would 
pass by unseen. 

One day, he came to a wigwam in which 
a woman was baking cakes. 

"I am very hungry," the man said. 
"Will you please give me a cake?" 

The woman looked at the man, and 

then at the cake. She saw that it was 

too large to give away. 

115 



Il6 WHY THE WOODPECKER BORES EOR ITS FOOD 

She said, '' I will not give you this cake, 

but I will bake you one, if you will wait." 

The hungry man said, '' I will wait." 

Then the woman took a small piece 

<~ of doue^h and 

<r^^5^3^^5^^ made it into a 

cake and baked 
^M> J^^^ it. But when 
she took this 
cake from the coals, it was larger than 
the first. 

Again the woman looked at her cake. 
Again she saw it was too large to give 
away. Again she said, " I will not give 
you this one, but I will bake you one, if 
you will wait." 

Again the man said, '' I will wait." 

This time the woman took a very, very, 

tiny bit of dough, and made it into a cake. 

''Surely, this will be small enough to 

give away," she thought, yet when baked 

it was larger than both the others. 



WHY THE WOODPECKER BORES FOR ITS FOOD II7 

The woman stood and looked at the three 
cakes. Each was too large to give away. 

'' I will not give you any of the cakes," 
she said to the man. '' Go to the woods, 
and find your food in the bark of trees." 

Then the man stood up and threw off 
his ragged blanket and worn moccasins. 
His face shone like the sun, and he was 
very beautiful. The woman shrank into 
the shadow of the wigwam. She could 
not look upon his face, for the light. 

" I am the Great Spirit," said he, '' and 
you are a selfish woman. Women should 
be kind, and generous, and unselfish. 
You shall no longer be a woman and 
live in a warm wigwam, with plenty of 
cakes to bake. Vo/f^ shall go to the forest 
and hunt your food in the bark of trees. 
Summer and winter, you shall eat worms 
of the same size as the cake you would 
have made for me." 

The woman began to grow smaller and 



Il8 WHY THE WOODPECKER BORES FOR ITS FOOD 



smaller. Feathers grew upon her body, and 

wings sprang from it. The Great Spirit 

touched her head, and it became red. 

'^ Always shall you wear this red hood/' 

he said, '' as a mark of 

your shame. Always 

shall you hide from 

man. Always shall you 

hunt for little worms, 

the size of the cake 

you made for me." 

At this a sharp cry 
was heard, and a bird 
flew into the fireplace of the wigwam, 
and up the chimney. As it passed out 
of the chimney, the soot left those long 
streaks of black which we see now on the 
woodpecker's back. 

Ever since then, this woodpecker has 
had a red head, and has been hiding from 
man on the farther side of the tree trunk, 
and boring in the bark for liU/e worms. 




WHY THE ICE R(30F FELL 

A great many winters ago, there lived 
at the foot of a certain lake a tribe of 
wicked Indians. These Indians were so 
fierce, and warlike, and wasteful, they went 
about destroying everything. 

They laid low a tract of beautiful forest 
trees, for no good purpose. They tore up 
shrubs and plants that gave them food 
and medicine. They shot their arrows 
into every bird or animal they saw, just 
for sport. 

The great trees — their silent brothers 
of the wood — trembled and sighed when 
they heard these Indians coming. The 




119 



120 WHY THE ICE ROOF FELL 

squirrels darted into hollow trees, and 
birds flew in alarm at their footsteps. 
The deer and rabbit ran from the trail. 

At last the Great Spirit became very 
angry with this tribe. Always he had 
taught the Indians never to kill an ani- 
mal, unless for food and protection; never 
to fell a tree, unless for fuel or shelter; 
never to dig up shrubs or plants, unless 
for some good use. 

''All life," the Great Spirit had said, 
''is sacred and beautiful. It must not be 
wasted." 

And never before had he known the 
Indians to waste the beautiful living 
things about them. The Great Spirit was 
very sad. 

The ice formed very thick on the lake 
that winter. 

One night, there came a great storm 
of wind and rain. The ice broke loose 
from the shores, and the wind blew it 



WHY THE ICE ROOF FELL 121 

down the lake. At the foot of the lake, a 
mass of ice was piled high over the shore, 
where lived these wasteful Indians. 

Like a giant roof, the ice spread over 
the little Indian village lying there asleep, 
but the Indians did not know. They slept 
on, unaware of their danger, for a deep, 
heavy sleep had come upon them. 

Just as the sun rose, the ice roof gave 
way and fell upon the sleeping Indians, 
crushing them in their wigwams. 

The waste they had brought upon their 
brothers of the wood had brought punish- 
ment upon them. The Great Spirit had 
destroyed these wicked Indians, that the 
good Indians might keep his world 
beautiful. 

Ever after, as long as the Indians occu- 
pied the country, before the White man 
came, no trees were felled, and no animals 
or birds were killed, unless for some wise 
and useful purpose. 



WHY THE CHIPMUNK HAS 
BLACK STRIPES 

At one time, the animals had tribes and 
chiefs, like men. It was when the porcu- 
pine was chief, that a council was called. 
A great fire was lighted, for it was 
night. When all the animals were seated 
around the fire, the porcupine spoke. 

'' Friends," he said, 
" we have met here 
to settle a great ques- 
tion: 'Shall we have 
night all the time, or 
day?'" At this, all the 
animals began to talk 
at once. There was 
great confusion. The night animals kept 
shouting, ''Night, night! Always night!" 
Others of the animals cried, "Day, day! 
Always day ! " Still others called for " Day 
and night!" 

122 




WHY THE CHIPMUNK HAS BLACK STRH^ES 1 23 

There was so much noise that it could 
not be decided what was best. 

At last the animals grew tired of calling. 
One by one the voices grew fainter, and 
the shouting ceased. Of the night ani- 
mals, the voice of the bear alone was 
heard. He had a big voice and still 
kept calling, ''Night, night! Always 
night!" 

The animals who wanted day all the 
time, and those who wanted day and night, 
also became quiet, — all except the chip- 
munk. He chattered on, "We will have 
light — and then night. We will have 
light — and then night. Chee, chee, chee ! " 

Then the bear, too, became tired. He 
was fat and lazy, and so sleepy! He 
thought he would take a short nap. 

But all night long the wide-awake little 
chipmunk kept up his song. Not for a mo- 
ment did he stop to rest. Out of the dark 
came his voice, sure and cheery, ''We will 



124 WHY THE CHIPMUNK HAS BLACK STRIPES 

have light — and then night. We will have 
light — and then night! Chee, chee, chee!" 

And before the animals knew it, the sun 
began to rise. 

At the first rays of light, the bear sat 
up, blinked, and rubbed his eyes. He saw 
that while he had slept, light had indeed 
come. He knew that he and the night 
animals had been beaten in the council, 
and that the chipmunk and the animals 
who wanted day and night had won. 

The bear was very angry. He struck 
at the chipmunk with his paw. But he was 
clumsy, and the chipmunk was spry! 

The chipmunk laughed and sprang into 
a hole of a hollow tree near by. But 
those black stripes on the chipmunk s back 
show where the paw of the black bear 
touched him as he slipped into the tree. 

Ever since this council, and the little chip- 
munk called so long and loud for 'Might 
and night," we have had day and night. 






HOW TWO INDIAN BOYS 
SETTLED A QUARREL 

Flying Squirrel and Lightning | ^ 
Bow were two little Indian boys. 
They lived by Singing River, and 
they played from sunrise to sunset. 
They were as happy as the day 
was long. 

In the summer, they fished and 
swam in Singing River, and they 
shot their arrows into chipmunk 
and woodpecker holes. Sometimes 
they played " Dodging Arrows," a 
game their mother had taught them 
when they were very young. 

In the winter, they jumped into 

fleecy snowdrifts and rolled until 

their little bronze bodies took on a 

red-raspberry tint. Then they would 

send their snow-snakes skimming 

over the hard crust of snow. 

125 



126 HOW TWO INDIAN BOYS SETTLED A QUARREL 

« 

Snow-snakes were small rods of wood, 
polished smooth with resin, oil, or wax. 
They could be thrown long distances. 
Long Moose — Lightning Bow and Fly- 
ing Squirrel's father — could throw a snow- 
snake a mile and a half, over the crust of 
the snow. But the snow-snakes he used 
were eight feet long and tipped with lead. 

It was the Moon of Berries. Six times 
had Flying Squirrel and Lightning Bow 
seen the Berry Moon hang her horn in 
the night sky. And not once in all their 
lives had they quarreled. 

One morning, Flying Squirrel and Light- 
ning Bow planned a foot race. Seven 
times they were to run. Three times, 
Flying Squirrel had made the goal first. 
Three times, Lightning Bow had outrun 
him. The seventh race was claimed by 
each. No one saw them run, so no one 
could decide the game. And they fell to 
quarreling. 








12 V 



128 HOW TWO INDIAN BOYS SETTLED A QUARREL 



Louder and louder their voices were 
raised. More and more angry they grew. 
White Fawn, their mother, was baking 
corn bread on the coals of the wigwam 
fire. The angry voices reached her ears. 
She stepped to the door. 

" For shame ! " she called. " Go and set 
up your sticks." 

Then she showed Lightning Bow and 
Flying Squirrel how to set 
up three sticks so they 
would stand for many days. 
"Now go into the wood, 
set up your sticks, and 
leave your quarrel there," she said. " When 
the Berry Moon has passed, you shall re- 
turn and see if the sticks are still standing. 
" If they lean toward the rising sun. 
Lightning Bow was right. If they lean 
toward the setting sun, Flying Squirrel 
won. If they have fallen down, neither 
was right and neither won." 




HOW TWO INDIAN BOVS SETTLED A QUARREL 1 29 

Lightning Bow and Flying Squirrel went 
into the wood and set up their sticks. 
Then they began to throw balls with willow 
wands, and soon they were happy again. 

The sun had risen and set many times. 
The Berry Moon had passed. It was the 
Thunder Moon, when White Fawn said to 
Lightning Bow and Flying Squirrel, ^'To- 
day you may go into the wood and see 
if your sticks are still standing." 

Hand in hand, the two little Indian 
boys ran into the wood. They found only 
a heap of rotting sticks. 

Flying Squirrel and Lightning Bow 
stood and looked at the sticks. They 
thought and thought. 

''What did we set up the sticks for?' 
each asked of the other. 

And for the life of them they could not 
remember what they had quarreled about, 
and why they had set up the sticks! 

IROQUOIS STORIES — 8 



HOW MICE OVERCAME THE 
WARRIORS 

Once a tribe of the Iroquois became 
very warlike and cruel. They liked to 
follow the warpath rather than the hunting 
trails. 

These warriors thought only of the war 
dance. They forgot to give thanks for 
the sweet waters of the maple, and for 
the planting season. Neither did they 
remember to praise the Great Spirit, in 
song and dance, for the juicy strawberries, 
and the waving green corn, as once they 
had done. 

To fight was the one desire of their 

lives, the one thought that filled their 

minds. They boasted that none were so 

fierce and bloodthirsty as they. 

" Our arrows fall like leaves of the pine/' 
130 



HOW MICE OVERCAME THE WARRIORS 



131 



they said, ''and always are they red with 
blood. Our war shirts have many scalp 
locks on them." 

One day, a dispute arose with a neigh- 
boring tribe of their nation. The Peace 




Wigw^am was not far away, but these 
warriors would not take their quarrel to 
it, as was the custom. The fighting In- 
dians would have none of the Peace 
Wigwam. 

'' Let the women and papooses sit in the 
sun at the door of the Peace Wigwam," 
they said scornfully. "Chiefs are for the 
warpath." 



132 



HOW MICE OVERCAME THE WARRIORS 



A fierce cry was raised, and the war 
dance was begun. The chiefs painted 
their bodies, donned their war shirts, 
sharpened their tomahawks, tipped their 
arrows, and tightened their bowstrings. 

But by the time they had made ready, 

the sun had set, and 



the blanket of dark- 
ness had fallen upon 
them. A council was 
quickly called. It 
was decided that 
they would not start 

to war until moonrise. So the warriors lay 

down to sleep. 

As they slept, another council was called. 

This was not a council of men, but of mice. 
From long and short trails they came, 

hundreds and hundreds of mice, for all 

had heard the warriors boast of their 

strength. 

'' Now," said the mice, '' we will show 




HOW MICE OVERCAME THE WARRIORS 1 33 

these boasters how weak are men, and 
how strong are little mice." 

When all the mice were gathered about 
the council tree, the leader spoke thus: 
" My brothers, listen ! The Great Spirit 
did not give men strength, that they should 
fight and kill one another. The Great 
Spirit did not make men powerful, that 
they should strike down and kill the 
weaker animals. Let us show these fierce 
warriors that it is the weak who are 
strong, and the strong who are weak. Let 
every mouse destroy at least one weapon 
before the moon shall rise." 

At this, all the mice set to work. Snap, 
snap, snap, went the bowstrings on all 
sides. Then the sharp little teeth began 
on the feathers that winged the poisoned 
arrows. Soon the feathers lay in bits about 
the ground. 

Next, the deerskin cords that bound the 
sling shots were cut in two, and before the 



134 



HOW MICE OVERCAME THE WARRIORS 



moon had risen, every weapon had been 
made useless; every Indian had been dis- 
armed, — and the mice had scampered aw^ay. 

The w^arriors aw^oke. Again the v\^ar 
cry was raised. They sprang to their feet 
and seized their weapons, but found them 
useless. Their bows had no strings; their 
arrows, no wings; their slings, no cords. 

The warriors who boasted that they 
were the strongest and fiercest on the 
earth, had been made powerless by mice. 



rWIIY CROWS ARE POOR 
After the Great Spirit had made the 
Red Children and had given them this 
beautiful land in which to live, he sent 
them a great gift, — the gift of the corn. 
Ga gaah, the Crow, claims it was he 
who brought this gift. He says he was 
I called to the wigwam of the Great Spirit 
in the sky. A grain of corn was placed 
in his ear, and he was told to carry it to 
earth, to the Red Children. 

Therefore, as Ga gaah brought the gift, 
he claims he has a right to pull what corn 
he needs. Ga gaah says he does not 
''steal'' corn. He simply takes what be- 
longs to him, his rightful share. 

And surely Cja gaah is not greedy! He 
never takes more corn than he wants for 
himself. He never hides or stores it away. 
He takes just what he wishes to eat at the 

135 



136 WHY CROWS ARE POOR 

time, and no more, for crows never think 
of to-morrow. 

In summer, they are happy in the corn- 
fields, guarding the roots from insect 
enemies, and pulling the tender blades 
whenever they are hungry. 




But w^hen winter comes, the crows are 
sad. Many councils are held. Sometimes 
a council tree will be black with crows. 
All are so poor and so hungry, that they 
get together to try to plan a better w^ay 
to live. 

There is much noise and confusion at 
a crow council, for all the crows talk at 
once. All are saying, " No bird is so poor 
as the crow; he is always hungry. Next 



WHY CROWS ARE POOR 1 37 

summer, let us plant and raise a big crop 
of corn, and gather and save it for the 
winter. Next winter, crows will not be 
hungry; they will have food. 

" We w ill no longer take from the fields 
of the Red Children just enough corn for 
a meal to-day. We will raise our own 
corn, and lay by a store for the winter." 

And having agreed that this is a wise 
plan, the council ends. 

A few days later, another council will be 
called. At this, the crows will plan how and 
where to plant the corn. Some will be ap- 
pointed to select a field, others to find seed, 
and still others to plant and tend the corn. 

But, alas! When spring comes, and 
skies are blue, and the sun shines warm, 
the crows forget the hunger of the winter, 
and the councils in the tree. They re- 
member only that the skies are blue, and 
the sun shines w^arm, and now there is 
plenty of corn. 



38' 



WHY CROWS ARIi I'OOR 



Happy and content, they walk up and 
down the fields of the Red Children. 

" We have all we want to-day," they say, 
"Why should we think of to-morrow, or 
next winter? We had a good meal this 
morning, and we are sure of one to-night. 
Is not this enough for a crow? What 
more can he ask?" 

And the next winter comes, and finds 
the crojvs as poor and as hungry as they 
were the last. Again they are holding 
noisy councils in the council tree. Again 
they are laying plans for the great crop 
of corn that they will raise next summer! 




WHY THE INDIAN LOVES 
HIS DOG 

The dog is the Indian s best friend. He 
is the comrade by day and the protector 
by night. As long as the Indian's dog 
has strength, *he will fight for his friend. 

The Indian says this is how the dog 
came to take his part. 

An Indian and his dogs went into the 
woods to hunt. It was in the days when 
dogs and men could talk together, and 
each understood the language of the other. 

When they reached the woods, the dogs 
began to talk with the Indian. They told 
him many wonderful things about the 
woods, which he did not know. They 
taught him many tricks of the chase: how 
to scent and track the game, and where 
to look for trails. 

139 



140 WHY THE INDIAN LOVES PUS DOG 




The man listened to what the dogs 
said, and he did as they to^d him. Soon 
the sledge which the dogs had drawn to 
the woods w^as piled high with deer and 
other game. 

Never had the Indian s arrows brought 
him so much game. Never had he met 
with such success in hunting. He was 
so pleased that he said to the dogs, 
"Always shall I talk with you, give ear 
to what you say, and be one of you." 

"Ah, but listen!" said the dogs. "If 
you wish to be one of us, you must live 
under the law of dogs, not men. Animals 
have laws different from those of men. 
When two dogs meet for the first time, 



WHY THE INDIAN LOVES HIS DOG I4I 

they try their strength to see which is the 
better dog. 

"Men do not fight when strangers meet, 
they shake hands. As we fight strange 
dogs, so you, too, must fight strange men, 
to see which is the best man, — if you 
are to live under the law of dogs." 

The man said he would think it over, 
and at sunrise give his answer. Indians 
always sleep before deciding a question. 

Next morning, the man said he would 
live under the law of animals, and fight 
strange men. 

The following day, the man made ready 
to leave the woods. From the basswood, 
he made a strong harness for the dogs, 
so that they could draw the load of game 
back to the camp for him. 

When the sun was high, the man and 



^^SZZ2t^ 




^^S^^^->--^V^::iC^^C;Oc:,'gS3^^j^:^5~^52^^ 



142 WHY THE INDIAN LOVES HIS DOG 

the dogs started with the sledge load of 
game. They had not gone far before they 
saw two strange Indians coming. 

" Now," said the dogs to the man, 
"remember you are living under the dogs 
law. You must fight these strange men." 

The man attacked first one Indian and 
then the other. At last both turned on him, 
and when they left him, he was nearly 
dead. At this, the dogs took a hand. They 
leaped upon the Indians and drove them 
from the woods. Then they came back to 
where their friend lay on the ground, and 
began to talk with him and lick his face. 

The man could not speak for some time, 
but when his voice came to him, he said 
to the dogs, '' No longer do I wish to live 
under the law of animals. No more shall 
I fight strangers. From this time, I shall 
shake hands with strangers, and bid them 
welcome. From this time, I shall be a 
man and live under the law of men." 



WHY THE INDIAN LOVES HIS DOG 1 43 

''Then/' said the dogs sadly, ''we shall 
no longer be able to talk with you, and 
tell you the things that we know. But 
we will always stand by you. We will 
be your friends and will fight for you, 
when you need us as you did to-day." 

This is why the Indian and his dog 
are now unable to speak each others 
language. This is also why an Indians 
f dog will fight to the death for his friend. 

Not only is the dog a true friend to 
the Indian in this world, but in the next 
as well. It seems that the soul of an 
Indian on its journey to the Happy 
Hunting Ground must cross a deep, swift- 
running stream. On either side of this 
dark river, there stand two dogs who hold 
in their teeth a great log upon which the 
souls pass. 

The soul of the Indian who has been 
kind to his dog crosses the log easily, 
for the dogs stand guard. As the soul 



144 ^VHV THE INDIAN LOVES HIS DOG 

of such an Indian reaches the river, they 
say, ''This Indian was kind to his dog. 
He gave him of his own food, and the 
dog always had a warm place by his fire. 
We will help this Indian to cross." 

Then the dogs grip the log firmly in 
their teeth, and hold it steady while the 
soul of the kind Indian passes over. 

But if the soul of an Indian who has 
been unkind to his dog comes to the river, 
the dogs say, '' This man was cruel to his 
dog. He gave his dog no place by the 
fire, he beat him, he let him go hungry. 
This man shall not cross." 

Then the dogs grip the log lightly in 
their teeth, and when the soul of the 
unkind Indian is half way across, they 
turn it quickly to one side, and the soul 
is thrown into the deep, dark river. 

Many an Indian has been kind to his 
dog, that he might make sure of a safe 
crossing on that log. 



GREEDY FAWN AND THE 
PORRIDGE 

In the days when there was no one 
living in this country but the Indians, 
there w^ere no houses; there were only 
Indian wigwams. There were no roads 
and no streets, but Indian trails. 

At that time there grew a wonderful 
chestnut, which the Indians used in their 




145 



GREEDY FAWN AND THE PORRIDGE 1 47 

cooking. A very small bit of this chestnut 
grated into a kettle would make a potful 
of porridge. 

In a certain wigwam lived Deerheart 
and Sky Elk, and their little son Greedy 
Fawn. The mother was called Deerheart 
because she was so loving, and gentle, and 
kind. The father was named Sky Elk 
because he was so strong and fleet of foot. 
Greedy Fawn, too, came rightly by his 
name. You will soon know why. 

One day, Deerheart and Sky Elk went 
on a long trail. As they left the wigwam, 
they said to Greedy Fawn, '' Do not touch 
the chestnut, do not build a fire, while we 
are away." 

Greedy Fawn promised. He watched 
his father and mother disappear down 
the western trail. Then he went back to 
the wigwam. 

'♦Now," thought he, ''I will have all 
the porridge I want." 

IROQUOIS STORIES — Q 



148 GREEDY FAWN AND THE PORRIDGE 

So he ran and gathered some sticks. 
He built a fire with the sticks. Then he 
hung the kettle over the fire, and put some 
water in it. Then he found the chestnut. 
He grated a little of the chestnut into the 
kettle, and began to stir; Then he grated 
some more, and some more, and some 
more. 

Faster and faster Greedy Fawn stirred 
the boiling porridge, for it began to swell 
and fill the kettle. 

Larger and larger, it grew, and it grew, 
and it grew. 

Greedy Fawn was so frightened he did 
not know what to do. 

"Oh, will it never stop swelling?" he 
thought. Harder and harder he stirred 
to keep the porridge from boiling over. 
Beads of perspiration ran down his little 
bronze face, yet still he stirred. He dared 
not stop. 

Then he remembered that sometimes 



GREEDY FAWN AND THE PORRIDGE 1 49 

his mother would rap the kettle with the 
porridge stick, if it became too full. 

Rap, rap, rap, went the porridge stick 
on the edge of the kettle. Instantly the 
kettle began to swell. Larger, and larger, 
and larger it grew. Greedy Fawn was so 
frightened he did not know what to do. 

Now Greedy Fawn could not reach 
across the kettle, to stir the porridge with 
his stick, so he began to run around it. 
And around, and around, and around the 
kettle he ran, stirring, and stirring, and 
stirring. 

At last the kettle was so large that it 
nearly filled the wigwam. There was just 
space enough left for Greedy Fawn to 
run around it. And around, and around, 
and around the kettle he ran, stirring, and 
stirring, and stirring. 

Oh, how his little arms ached! And, oh, 
how tired his small legs were! But still 
he ran. He dared not stop. 



150 



GREEDY FAWN AND THE PORRIDGE 



Here was porridge enough to last a 
small boy a lifetime, and he could not stop 
to taste one mouthful! 

At last Greedy Fawn could run no 
longer. He stumbled and fell by the 
side of the kettle. He was too weak to 




rise. The stick fell from his hand, and the 
porridge boiled on. Higher, and higher, 
and higher it rose, until it ran over and 
down the sides of the kettle. Closer, and 
closer the boiling porridge crept to the 
little Indian boy, and soon Greedy F^awn 
and his stick were nearly buried in porridge. 



GREEDY FAWN AND THE PORRIDGE 



151 



For once Greedy Fawn had all the 
porridge he wanted. And never again 
would he have wanted anything, had not 
Deerheart and Sky Elk heard his cries, 
and come running like deer up the trail to 
save him. 




WHY HOUNDS OUTRUN OTHER 
ANIMALS 

A hound was chasing a hare through 
the woods. 

Some wolves and panthers were chas- 
ing a bull that had been feeding in the 
valley near the woods. For some time 
they had been trying to run him down, 
but they did not seem to gain on him. 

When the wolves 
and panthers saw that 
they were not gaining 
on the bull, they halt- 
ed to take counsel. 
They decided that it 
would take a whole day 
of hard running to get 
the bull, and a hound 

was near! Why not go for the hound? 

152 




WHY HOUNDS OUTRUN OTHER ANIMALS 1 53 

All agreed. They set off for the hound. 

Now the bull had heard the wolves 
and panthers take council, and he, too, 
set off for the woods. 

As he neared the wood, the bull called 
to the hound and warned him that a pack 
of wolves and panthers was after him. 
Just then they came into sight. The 
hound dared not meet them alone, and 
he knew not which way to turn. 

Then the bull called, ''Come, jump on 
my back. I can outrun them." 

The hound ran and leaped on the back 
of the bull, and away they went. 

The bull and the hound talked as they 
ran. The bull said he thought the wolves 
would soon grow tired, fall back, and give 
up the chase. But he was wrong. They 
were too angry at being outwitted. 

'' You think to take our game from us," 
they howled at the bull. " But we will 
eat hound meat to-night." 



154 ^J^^Y HOUNDS OUTRUN OTHER ANIMALS 

The bull saw it was a run for life. All 
day he ran. For a time it was easy to 
outrun the wolves and panthers, but at last 
they began to press hard upon him. 

As the sun dropped out of the sky, the 
bull felt his knees begin to weaken. The 
weight of the hound was telling on him. 
A moment later, he stumbled and fell. 

In an instant, the pack was upon them. 
But with one leap, the hound cleared the 
pack and was off down the trail. 

The weaker wolves and panthers leaped 
upon the bull. The stronger went on. 

But now the best of them were no 
match for the hound. He was fresh and 
strong, for he had been riding all day. 
They were tired and worn from the long 
chase, and soon they gave it up. 

Because the hound is able to save his 
strength for the end of the chase, he can 
now outrun not only wolves and panthers, 
but all the other animals. 



WHY INDIANS NEVER SHOOT 
PIGEONS 

An Indian hunter went into the forest 
in search of game. 

The forest was so large that it would 
have taken three days to journey through 
it. All day he followed the track of the 
deer, but his arrows brought him no food. 

At night, he came to a dark, swift-run- 
ning stream. He was tired and hungry. 

'' Here," said he, '' I will lie down and 
rest until sunrise." 

He began to search for a bed of pine 
needles, for the Indian loves the pine tree. 
It is his friend by day and by night. By 
day it is his forest guide. At night it 
gives him a soft, sweet-smelling bed on 
which to sleep, and it shields him from 
the storm. 

The hunter ran along the stream. It 
155 



156 WHY INDIANS NEVER SHOOT PIGEONS 

was very dark. He felt no soft pine 
needles under his moccasined feet, only 
the knotted roots of trees. 

Suddenly the great roots of an oak tree 
reached out and caught him. He could 
not free his foot from the oaks grasp. 

The sun rose and set. The great tree 
still held the hunter fast. He was weak 
from pain and hunger. 

It was now two days since he had tasted 
food. Four notches had been cut in his 
stick, for the Indian measures time in this 
way. Each sunrise and sunset, when he 
is on the trail, is marked by a notch on 
a small stick which he carries. 

Three times did the sun again rise and 
set, yet the tree did not let go its hold. 
There were now ten notches on the stick, 
and the hunter was so weak that he could 
scarcely cut the last one. 

As the sun rose on the fifth day, a bird 
flew into the tree. He saw the hunter 



WflY INDIANS NEVER SHOOT PIGEONS 1 57 

lying on the ground, and came close and 
spoke to him. 

The hunter understood, for in those 
days men and birds could talk together. 

The bird asked the man what he could 
do for him, and the hunter whispered, 
"You are strong. You can fly a long 
trail. Go and tell the chief of my people." 

The bird flew swiftly away with the 
message. He did not wait until the sun 
was high. He did not stop to eat one 
berry or one worm. He did not fly high, 
nor fly low to talk with other birds. He 
went straight to the people the hunter 
had told him of. 

The West Wind tried to blow him back. 
A black cloud came up to frighten him, 
but he went through it. On, and on, 
and on, he went. Straight to the wig- 
wam of the chief, he carried his message. 

The chief had called together the young 
men who were fleet of foot, and was about 



i5;8 



WHY INDIANS NEVER SHOOT PIGEONS 




to send them 
forth to find the 
lost hunter. They 
were asking the 
chief what trails 
they had best 
take. Before the 
chief could reply, 
a beautiful dove- 
colored bird had flown close to his ear and 
had spoken to him in soft, low tones. 

The chief told the young men what the 
bird had said, and they set off on the trail 
the bird had named. Before sunset, they 
had found the lost hunter. 

Carefully they freed him from the grasp 
of the great oak and bore him to his 
people. That night there was a feast 
and a dance in his honor. 

Ever since, the Indians have loved the 
birds that carry the messages, and they 
never shoot a pigeon. 



now OLD MAN WINTER WAS 
DRIVEN BACK 

Far away in the North Sky lives Old 
Man Winter. Every year he leaves his 
wigwam in the sky and comes to earth. 

At the foot of a mountain, he builds a 
lodge of ice and snow, which no human 
being, animal, or bird can enter. There 
he lives for a time. 

North Wind is the only friend of Old 
Man Winter. When he passes near Old 
Man Winter's lodge, he gives a loud 
shriek, and with his blustering breath he 
blows open the door and enters. 

Near a fire which glows, but does not 

warm. North Wind finds a seat. There 

he and Old Man Winter sit and smoke, 

and lay their plans for the next snowstorm. 

When the council is ended. North 
159 



l6o HOW OLD MAN WINTER WAS DRIVEN BACK 

Wind departs, to drive up the snow and 
hail from the corners of the earth. 

Old Man Winter also leaves his lodge. 
He stalks over the mountains and valleys 
of the Red Children. The land becomes 
white with his breath. The rivers are 
stilled, and all the voices of the wood are 
hushed as he passes. A deep sleep falls 
upon every living thing. 

No sound is heard in the forest but 
the rapping on the trees. Old Man 
Winter carries a great hammer, and he 
strikes the trees a blow as he passes. 
The colder it grows, the louder and more 
frequently he raps. The trees snap, and 
the Indian lodges crack with his blows. 

One day, as Old Man Winter was stalk- 
ing through a forest, he came upon a 
hunter's lodge. For days the snow had 
been falling. No track of deer or rabbit 
was to be seen, and the hunter and his 
little boy sat within, weak from hunger. 



HOW OLD MAN WINTER WAS DRIVEN EACK l6l 

They were also very cold, for the fire in 
the lodge burned low. 

Old Man Winter laughed and shook 
his hammer in glee, as he drew near. 
Once, twice, three times, he rapped. The 
little boy within heard him, and rapped 
three times in reply, — just as Old Man 
Winter had done. 

At this, the hunter spoke. He told the 
boy that he must not mock a nature spirit, 
lest some harm should come to him. He 
might be captured and made to serve that 
spirit. 

Now when Old Man Winter heard the 
mocking raps of the little boy within the 
lodge, he was very angry. He breathed 
fiercely upon the little lodge. It shrank 
and shivered at his touch like a living 
thing. He struck it several sharp blows 
with his hammer, and passed on. 

The fire inside the lodge burned lower 
and lower. The hunter and his little son 



t62 how old man winter was driven back 

drew closer and watched the last flame 
flicker and die out. 

As they sat by the ashes, numb with 

the cold, all of a sudden a new warmth 

filled the lodge. The South Wind gently 

opened the door, and a young chieftain, 

with a face like the sun, entered. He saw 

the dying hunter and the boy, and he 

^ warmed them back 

^^^^^^p to life. When they 

^^W^^m^ were stronger, he 

^^^^;- ^Z:,d!i^B helped them to 

..j^^^^^^^^^^K^ rekindle the fire. 

^^^^^^^ Then he told them 

to take a few dried blackberries that 

they had in the lodge, and boil them in 

water. 

He said they must eat a portion of the 
blackberries, and throw the rest at Old 
Man Winter when he returned. This 
would frighten him away, for he was 
terribly afraid of blackberries. 



l64 HOW OLD MAN WINTER WAS DRIVEN BACK 

Blackberries mean sunshine and sum- 
mer heat. Old Man Winter cannot stay 
where they are. He never visits the earth 
at blackberry time. 

The hunter and the little boy said they 
would do as they had been told. Soon 
the young chieftain left the lodge, with 
the South Wind. 

Not many days later, Old Man Winter 
returned, and again came rapping at their 
lodge. But this time the hunter and the 
little boy were ready. They threw the 
blackberries at him, as they had been told, 
and he ran in fear to his ice lodge. 

The South Wind and the young chief- 
tain with a face like the sun were near. 
They followed close upon the Old Man's 
track. When he was again inside the ice 
lodge, the South Wind rapped gently at 
the door. 

" Begone! " said the Old Man. *' No one 
but North Wind is welcome to my lodge." 



HOW OLD MAN WINTER WAS DRIVEN BACK 1 65 

Then the South Wind breathed soft and 
warm upon the door of the ice lodge, and 
it melted at their feet. The young chief- 
tain passed in and sat down by the strange 
fire that had no heat. The South Wind 
stayed without, and sang, soft and low. 

The Old Man was very angry. He 
raged about the lodge and ordered the 
young chieftain with sunshine in his face 
and warmth in his breath to depart. 

" I am great and powerful," said the 
Old Man. ''When I touch the sky, the 
snow falls. When I speak, hunters hide 
in their lodges; animals crawl into their 
holes ;^ and birds fly in fear. 

"When my hand touches the earth, it 
grows cold and hard, and all life dies. 
Begone! or I will make an ice man or a 
snow man of you." 

But the young chieftain moved not. 
He only sat and smiled at the bluster of 
the Old Man. 

IROQUOIS STORIES — lO 



1 66 HOW OLD MAN WINTER WAS DRIVEN BACK 

Slowly he filled a pipe, and handed it 
to the Old Man, saying, '' Here, smoke 
with me. It will give you strength to 
go to your lodge in the North Sky. It is 
time for you to depart. You are old, and 
tired, and worn. You and North Wind 
have had your day. The days that are to 
come belong to South Wind and to me. 

"I, too, am powerful, and I am young! 
I do not fear you. When I touch the 
earth, it grows soft and warm. Every 
living thing stirs in its sleep, — birds and 
bees, flowers and trees, animals and men. 
When I speak, the sleeping sun awakes. 
See! already he begins to send down his 
arrows. Hasten! that they may not find 
you, on the trail to the North Sky." 

The Old Man trembled. His legs and 
arms grew weak. Icicles fell from his 
beard. Great tears rolled down his cheeks. 

"Who are you?" he whispered, as he' 
was melting at the young chieftain's feet. 



HOW OLD MAN WINTER WAS DRIVEN BACK 1 67 

" I am Go hay — the Spring," answered 
the young chieftain. ''AH the earth is 
glad, when I come to drive you back to 
your lodge in the North Sky, for I bring 
sunshine, and love, and joy." 

But the Old Man did not hear. He 
was far on the North Sky trail, and Spring 
and South Wind were masters of earth. 



/ ..&s. 



? 



.^> "W/Zu 



.*^^^ 






/// 



m 



WHY LIGHTNING SOMETIMES 
STRIKES 

An old man of the 
Iroquois nation once 
wished to make a beau- 
tiful Indian maiden his 
wife. The old man had 
many rare furs and val- 
ued strings of wampum. 
These he brought and 
laid at the door of the 
w^ i g w a m where the 
maiden lived. 

The father and moth- 
er w^ere pleased with the 
old mans gifts. They 
told him that when the 
Planting Moon should 
come, the maiden should 

go to his w^igwam. 
1 68 




WHY LIGHTNING SOMETIMES STRIKES 1 69 

Now the maiden did not love the old 
man. She did not wish him to make her 
his wife. '' I will never sit at his wigwam 
door," she said. 

It was midwinter, when the old man 
brought the gifts, the time of the pale, 
cold moon. From that time, the maiden 
watched, with a heavy heart, the moons 
wax and wane. 

At last the snows disappeared. No 
more was the North Wind heard shriek- 
ing about the lodge. The gentle South 
Wind had come, bringing with him the 
singing birds. 

The little brooks awoke and sang. They 
were happy that spring had come, and all 
the earth children were glad, — except the 
maiden. Her heart grew more heavy and 
sad, as the face of the sun grew brighter. 

Then the Planting Moon came. The 
maiden watched the moon hang her horn 
in the sky. Then she ran swiftly to the 



170 



WHY LIGHTNING SOMETIMES STRIKES 



great river that flowed not far from the 
lodge. Lightly she sprang into her canoe. 
A few quick strokes, and the canoe was 
in midstream. 

The current ran swift and strong. The 
little craft was carried swiftly down the 
river toward the great falls known as 
Niagara Falls. As the canoe neared the 
falls, the maiden was seen to rise and 
stretch out her arms, as though about to 
leap. A smile was on her face, and a 
song was on her lips, as the canoe shot 
into the mist that overhung the water. 

Then, from the caverns below a dark 
blanket floated upward, as though spread 
to catch the maiden. It was Heno, the 
Thunder Spirit, who dwelt behind the 
falls. He had caught her in the folds of 




WHY LIGHTNING SOMETIMES STRIKES 171 

his blanket, and had saved her from the 
great rocks below. 

Heno took the maiden to live with him, 
in his lodge behind the falls. There she 
was very happy, so happy that her smile 
shone through the mist, and the Indians 
cried, "See! A rainbow!" 

In her new home the maiden learned 
many wonderful things. She found she 
possessed strange powers, not known to her 
before. She could float on a cloud at will, 
and she seemed filled with a strange fire. 

One day, the young woman was given 
a son. Heno and she were very happy. 
Many moons the mother and child played 
together. When Heno was away on one 
of his journeys through the sky, they 
would ride the great bubbles of foam that 
went dashing through the rocks. Some- 
times they would catch sunbeams in a 
net, as they sat on the edge of a cloud 
and fished. 



172 



WHY LIGHTNING SOMETIMES STRIKES 



One day, Heno asked the young woman 
if she would like to visit her people. 
'' If you wish," he said, ''you shall return 
for a time, taking our son 
with you. But remem- 
ber, both of you possess 
powers unknown to the 
earth children. Be care- 
ful how you use them. 
Never let another child 
strike the boy, for that 
child would at once 
wither and die. Never 
strike the boy your- 
self, for he would fall 
stunned to earth." 

The woman listened to Henos words. 
Soon they were wrapped in his great cloud 
blanket, and were floating over the river. 
When they came to the home of her people, 
Heno left the woman and the boy by the 
river, and went on further to the east. 




Cradle Board 



WHY LIGHTNING SOMETIMES STRIKES 1 73 

The people were glad to see the woman, 
whom they had mourned as dead. She 
told them of the wonderful things she had 
learned in her new home. She told them 
also how Heno was freeing their land of 
a monster serpent, that trailed underneath 
the earth, poisoning their springs and 
causing sickness. Always, she said, Heno 
carried a basket of great rocks on his back, 
which he hurled at the monster whenever 
he saw him. Soon he would kill the ser- 
pent, and they would be sick no more. 

During many days, the mother and the 
little boy stayed with the earth people. 
Sometimes, when the child was playing by 
the river, he would see a dark cloud ap- 
proaching. Then he would clap his hands 
with joy and cry, " There comes my 
father!" 

The black cloud would float earthward, 
and Heno would stop and have a word 
with the mother and the boy. As he left 



174 WHY LIGHTNING SOMETIMES STRIKES 

them he always said, *' Do not let anyone 
strike the boy." 

But one day, the mother did not watch 
the boy, and he fell to playing with some 
earth children. They grew angry as they 
played, and struck the boy. Instantly these 
earth children fell dead to the ground. 
Then the mother laid hands on the boy, 
to punish him, and he fell to earth. 

At this, there came a great rumbling 
and roaring through the sky, and Heno 
appeared. He took the lifeless child in 
his arms, crying, "You have disobeyed. 
No longer shall you have this great power 
I gave you. You shall remain on earth 
and be simply an earth woman. I will 
take the boy to my abode. Henceforth, 
our lodge shall be in the sky. There he 
will return to life, and ever after he will 
go with me on my journeys through the 
sky." 

Then the sky shook and trembled. The 



WHY LIGHTNING SOMETIMES STRIKES 



175 



door of the sky lodge opened, and Heno 
and the boy were seen no more. 

Now, when a rumbling and rolling 
through the sky is heard, the Indians say, 
"Tis the voice of Heno! He is coming 
from his lodge in the sky!" 

But when a flash of fire is seen, and a 
loud crash is heard, they say, " That is the 
boy! He is trying to hit the earth chil- 
dren with a fire stone. He remembers 
how they struck him, a long time ago." 




WHY THE HARE HAS A SPLIT 
LIP AND SHORT TAIL 

Once a rabbit began to run back and 
forth through the woods, calling for snow, 
snow, snow! It was one of those large 
gray rabbits, with long ears, that people 
call hares. 

As this hare ran back and forth through 
the woods, he sang at the top of his voice, 
'' Ah gon ne yah — yeh ! Ah gon ne yah — 
yeh! Ah gon 7ie yah — yeh! dah gen, dah 
ton, Ah gon ne yah — yeh! Ah gon 7te 
yah — yeh!'' This meant, ''Snow, snow, 
snow! How I would run if I had snow! 
Snow, snow, snow! How I would run if 
I had snow!" 

Now, strange as it may seem, as this 

hare ran back and forth singing for snow, 

snow, snow, some flakes of snow began to 

176 



WHY THE HARE HAS A SPLIT LIP AND SHORT TAIL 177 

fall. The hare was so delighted that he 
jumped up and down for joy. 

''Ah gon lie yah — yehf AJi gon ne 
yah — yeh ! Ah gon ne yah — yeh ! " he 
sang, in short, quick notes of joy. And 
the higher he jumped, and the louder he 
sang, the faster and thicker the snow 
came. 

The hare was so delighted that he again 
began to run. All day long he ran, back 
and forth through the woods, calling for 
"Snow, snow, snow! How I would run 
if I had snow!" And the snow fell faster 
and faster. Thicker and thicker it came. 
The path in which the rabbit ran grew 
higher and higher, as the snow fell deeper 
and deeper. 

But at last the hare was so tired that 
he could run no longer. He no longer 
sang for '' Snow, snow, snow ! How I 
would run if I had snow," for he now had 
more snow than he wanted. The snow 



178 WHY THE HARE HAS A SPLIT LIP AND SHORT TAIL 

was up to the tiptops of the trees, and it 
was very hard to run. 

The hare was very tired. He thought 
he must take a rest. Night was coming 
on. He looked about him. Near the path 
were the top branches of a willow tree, 
sticking out above the snow. He sprang 
into a crotch of those branches. There 
he could sit and rest for a time. Soon 
he fell asleep. He slept all night and 
part of the next day. 

That night it began to rain, and it rained 
very, very hard. The snow began to melt, 
and it melted very, very fast, and when 
that hare awoke, not a flake of snow was 
to be seen! 

But there was the hare away up in the 
tiptop of that willow tree! What to do 
he did not know. He was very hungry. 
He wondered how long he could stay 
there and not starve. He saw some 
tender buds on the branches. He ate 



WHY THE HARE HAS A SPLIT LIP AND SHORT TAIL 1 79 

those, and then he gnawed bark for a 
time. 

However, sooner or later, the hare knew 
he must jump or starve. He looked down 
at the earth. It looked very good to him. 
He could see some fresh green moss and 
some beautiful grass. One jump, and they 
were his! But what a jump! 

At last the hare whipped his courage up 
to the jumping point. He shut his eyes, 
and gave one great jump to earth. But 
when he jumped, he caught his tail on the 
branch of the willow tree and left part of 
it up there. And when he jumped, he 
struck the front of his face on a sharp 
stone, and the stone split his upper lip in 
two. 

Ever since then, hares have had split 
lips and short tails, and ever since then, 
willow trees have had tails, or catkins, on 
them, in the spring. 



CORN PLUME AND BEAN 
MAIDEN 

The Great Spirit had smiled upon his 
Red Children. The land was filled with 
plenty, for the Great Spirit had given to 
them the three sustainers of life, the 
corn, the bean, and the squash. Flowers 
bloomed, birds sang, and all the earth 
was glad with the Red Children, for the 
gifts of the Great Spirit. 

On one side of a hill grew the tall, 
waving corn, with its silk tassels and 
plumes. On another side, beans, with 
their 'velvety pods, climbed toward the 
sky. Some distance down a third slope, 
beautiful yellow squashes turned their 
faces to the sun. 

One day, the Spirit of the corn grew 

restless. There came a rustling through 

1 80 



CORN PLUME AND BEAN MAIDEN l8l 

the waving leaves, and a great sigh burst 
from the heart of the tall stalks. The 
Spirit of the corn was lonely. 

After that, every morning at sunrise, 
a handsome young chief was seen to 
come and stand on the brow of the hill. 
On his head were shining red plumes. 
Tall, and strong, and splendid he stood, 
wrapped in the folds of his waving 
blanket, w^hose fringed tassels danced to 
the summer breeze. 

''Che die Iicii! Che die hen! Some 
one I would marry! Some one I would 
marry!" the young chieftain w^ould sing, 
many, many times. 

One day, his voice reached the Squash 
Maiden, on the other side of the hill. The 
Squash Maiden drew about her a rich 
green blanket, into which she had woven 
many flaunting gold trumpet-shaped flowers. 
Then she ran swiftly to the young chieftain. 

"Marry me! Marry me!" said the 



CORN PLUME AND BEAN MAIDEN 183 

Squash Maiden, as she spread her beau- 
tiful gold and green blanket at his feet. 

Corn Plume looked down at the Squash 
Maiden sitting on her blanket at his feet. 
She was good to look upon, and yet Corn 
Plume was not content. He wanted a 
maiden who would stand by his side, not 
always sit at his feet. 

Then Corn Plume spoke thus to the 
Squash Maiden. 

''Corn Plume cannot marry Squash 
Maiden. She is very beautiful, but she 
will not make song in Corn Plumes heart. 
Squash Maiden will grow tired of his 
lodge. She will not stay in his wigwam. 
She likes to go a long trail, and wander 
far from the lodge. 

''Corn Plume cannot make Squash 
Maiden his wife, for he is not content 
with her. But she shall be Corn Plume's 
sister, and sit in his lodge whenever she 
will. The maiden Corn Plume weds must 



IROQUOIS STORIES — 1 1 



184 CORN PLUME AND BEAN MAIDEN 

be ever at his side. She must go where 
he goes, stay where he stays." 

Next morning at sunrise, the voice of 
Corn Plume was again heard, singing from 
the hilltop, ''Che die hen! Che che hen! 
Some one I would marry! Some one I 
would marry! Che che hen! Che che 
lien ! " 

This time his song reached the ears 
of the Bean Maiden. Her heart sang, 
when she heard the voice of Corn Plume, 
for she knew that he was calling her. 
So light of heart was Bean Maiden, that 
she ran like a deer up the hillside. On 
and on, up and over the brow of the hill 
she climbed, till she reached the young 
chieftain's side. 

Then Corn Plume turned and beheld 
the most beautiful maiden he had ever 
seen. Her eyes were deep and dark, like 
mountain pools. Her breath was sweet 
as the waters of the maple. She threw 



CORN PLUME AND BEAN MAIDEN 1 85 

off her blanket of green, and purple, and 
white, and stretched her twining arms to 
him. 

Corn Plume desired to keep Bean Maiden 
forever close to him. He bent his tall 
plumed head to her. Her arms wound 
round and round the young chieftain, and 
Corn Plume was content. 

So closely were the arms of Corn Plume 
and the Bean Maiden entwined, so truly 
were they wed, that the Indians never at- 
tempted to separate them. Ever after, 
corn and beans were planted in the same 
hill, and often a squash seed was added. 

Since the Great Spirit had placed the 
corn, the bean, and the squash together 
on a hill, the Indian said they should con- 
tinue to live and grow and occupy a hill 
together. 

The door of Corn Plume's lodge was 
ever open to the Squash Maiden, if she 
chose to enter. But seldom did she stay 



l86 CORN PLUME AND BEAN MAIDEN 

in his wigwam. More often, she was 
found running off on a long trail. 

But Bean Maiden remained true to Corn 
Plume. Always she was found by his 
side. Never did she leave the lodge unless 
he went with her. Corn Plume's lodge 
was her lodge, and her trail was his trail. 

And because the Spirits of the corn 
and the bean are as one, the Indians not 
only plant and grow them together, but 
cook and eat them together. "In life, 
they were one," they say. "We will not 
separate them in death." 

And now, when a great rustling and 
sighing of the corn is heard in the White 
man's land, the Indians often say, "'Tis 
the Spirit of Corn Plume, crying for his 
lost Bean Maiden!" 




HOW THE ROBIN BURNED 
HIS BREAST 

Some Indian hunters once made their 
way north, to hunt for moose. It was at 
the time of Falling Leaves. 

They journeyed for several days, until 
they came to a lake. Close by the lake 
they built a log cabin. Moss was placed 
between the logs to keep out the wind, 
and a thick roof was made from hemlock 
boughs. In the center of the roof, a small 
opening was left for the smoke from the 
lodge fire to pass out. 

Here the hunters lived during the Moon 
of Falling Leaves. Every day they went 
on the moose trail, but they found no 
moose. Their arrows brought them little 
game of any kind. They became dis- 
couraged and sick, and one by one the 

hunters lay down and died. 

187 



1 88 HOW THE ROBIN BURNED HIS BREAST 

At last there was but one hunter left. 
He, too, was sick, and he grew weaker 
day by day. His food was nearly gone. 
It was growing cold, and there was little 
wood in the cabin to burn. 

But the man did not give up. Again 
and again he cried aloud, "Some one will 
come and help me! Some one will come 
and help me!" 

One day, as he lay there too weak to 
rise, the fire flickered and went out. It 
seemed that he must die. But even then 
he did not give up. Again and again, 
with his weak voice he cried, "Some one 
will come and help me! Some one will 
come and help me!" 

And some one did come and help him. 
His cry was heard, for a bird came flying 
in through the smoke hole in the roof of 
the lodge. 

The bird had such a cheery, brave voice 
that the man felt better the moment he 



HOW THE ROBIN BURNED HIS BREAST 1 89 

flew in. The bird said to the man, " I 
was near; I heard you calling. I have 
come to help you." 

Then the bird saw that the fire was 
out, and that the man was cold. He 
fluttered among the ashes until he found 
a bit of live coal. With a glad chirp, he 
flew out through the roof. Soon he was 
back, with his bill full of dried twigs. He 
placed them on the fire and began to fan 
them into flame with his wings. Soon 
the twigs were blazing. Then he flew 
out for more twigs, — and more, and 
more, and more. 

The brave little bird kept on carrying 
twigs until the fire burned hot, and the 
lodge was warm once more. 

When the bird had flown into the lodge, 
he had had a clean, white breast. After 
the fire was built, his breast was covered 
with red and brown spots. He tried to 
pick them off with his bill, but they would 



190 HOW THE ROBIN BURNED HIS BREAST 

not come off. Instead, they seemed to 
spread, and his whole breast became red- 
brown. Then the bird knew that he must 
have burned his breast to a red-brown, 
when he was fanning the fire into flame. 

But the Httle bird did not care if he 
had soiled his white breast, and burned 
it red-brown. Had he not brought cheer 
and life to a dying man? 

He chirped a few glad notes, then said 
to the man, " I will go now, but I shall be 
near your lodge. When you need me, 
call, and I will come again." 

Later in the day, the man again called 
for help. The fire was getting low, and 
he was not yet strong enough to go out 
and gather twigs. Again the bird came 
to his aid. In and out he flew, many 
times, after smaH branches and twigs, 
until they were piled high on the fire, and 
once more it crackled and burned. 

There was a little wood in the lodge. 



HOW THE ROBIN BURNED HIS BREAST IQI 

The man placed it on the fire, and the 
warmth healed the man, so that soon he 
was well and strong again. 

Every day the man talked with the 
bird, for he was always near, and his 
cheery voice and brave words gave the 
man courage. 

Once more he went on the moose trail, 
and this time his arrows brought him 
moose. In a short time the hunter had 
all the meat, skins, and moose hair he 
wanted. The moose hair he was taking 
to his wife, to work into pretty forms on 
moccasins. 

The first snow was falling, as the hunter 
started south on the home trail. The bird 
hopped along by his side for a little 
way, then said, " I must leave you now. 
Winter is coming, and I must be on my 
way to the Southland, or the snow will 
catch me. In the spring you will see me 
again." 



192 



HOW THE ROBIN BURNED HIS BREAST 



When spring came, the bird with the 
red-brown breast came with his mate, and 
built a nest close to the hunter's home 
lodge. In the nest, that summer, there 
grew up five little birds, and they, too, 
had red and brown breasts. 

And ever since, Robin Redbreast has 
continued to come and build his nest close 
to the lodges of men, for Robin Red- 
breast is a friend to man. 




IROOUOIS FAIRY STORIES 



HOW MORNING STAR LOST 
HER FISH 

Once the Little People, the Indian fairies, 
ran with the Red Children through the 
woods, and played with them beside the 
streams. Now they are not often seen, 
for the white man drove them out of 
the woods with the Indians, and away 
from the waters, with his big steam noises. 

But before steamboats and great mills 
were on the streams, the Little People 
were there. They were often seen paddling 
their tiny canoes, or sliding down the great 
rocks on the banks. They loved to slide 
down a bank where one rock jutted out, 
for then they had a big bounce. They 
also liked to sport and jump with the fish. 

There was a young Indian girl whose 
name was Morning Star. She was called 

195 



196 HOW MORNING STAR LOST HER FISH 

Morning Star because her face was so 
bright, and she was always up early in 
the morning. 

Morning Star lived with her father in 
a comfortable wigwam by a river. Every 
day she would get up with the sun, and 
run down to the river where the great 
rocks were, to catch fish for breakfast. 

Morning Star caught her fish in a bas- 
ket. At night, she would go and fasten 
her basket between the rocks, in a narrow 
place of the stream. Then, when the fish 
swam through in the night, they would 
get caught in it, and Morning Star would 
find plenty of fish waiting for her. In 
the morning, she would take the basket 
of fish back to the wigwam, and soon the 
smell of fish frying on hot coals would 
come from the lodge. 

Never since Morning Star began to 
fish with her basket, had Chief Little 
Wolf, her father, had to wait for his fish 



HOW MORNING STAR LOST HER FISH 1 97 

breakfast before starting on the chase. 
But one morning, neither Chief Little 
Wolf nor Morning Star breakfasted on 
fish. This is how it happened. 

On this morning, the Indian girl was 
up as usual with the sun. She ran down 
the river just as the Great Spirit lifted 
the sun's smiling face. Morning Star had 
such a light heart that she was glad 
just to be alive, and she sang a song of 
praise as she ran. All true Indians at sun- 
rise lift their arms and faces to the sun, 
and thank the Great Spirit that he has 
smiled upon them again. 

Happy and fleet as a deer. Morning 
Star ran on until she came to the great 
rocks. There she saw a whole tribe of 
tiny little folk gathered about her basket. 
Some of them were perched on the sides of 
the basket, laughing and singing. Others 
were lifting the fish from it and throwing 
them into the stream. Still others were 



198 HOW MORNING STAR LOST HER FISH 

opening and closing the splints of the 
basket for the fish to slip through. 

Morning Star knew that these tiny folk 
were the Jo gah oh. She knew also that 
these Little People were friends of the 
fish. They know every twist of a fish 
net and every turn of a hook. Often they 
have been known to set fish free, and to 
guide them into deep, quiet places, far 
away from the men who fish. 

Morning Star called to the Little People 
and begged them not to let all the fish 
go. Then she began to climb down the 
rocks, as fast as she could. The little 
Chief called up to her, '' Fish, like Indian 
girls, like to be alive." 

Then he told the Little People to keep 
on setting the fish free. 

When Morning Star reached her basket, 
a few fish were still in it. She put out 
her hand to take them from the Little 
People, — and not a fish, nor a Jo gah oh 




199 



200 HOW MORNING STAR LOST HER IISH 

was to be seen. The Little People had 
darted into the rocks, for they go through 
anything, and the fish had slipped through 
the tiny spaces between the splints of 
the basket. 

Morning Star heard the laughter of 
the Little People echo deep within the 
rocks, for they like to play pranks with 
the earth children. And far down the 
stream, she saw the fish leap with joy at 
being still alive. She took up her empty 
basket and went back to the wigwam. 

That morning for breakfast, Morning 
Star baked corn cakes on the hot coals. 
As she ate the hot cakes, she thought they 
tasted almost as good as fish. 

Ever after, when Morning Star saw a 
fish leap from the stream, she remembered 
what the Jo gah oh had said : *' Fish, like 
Indian girls, like to be alive." 



HOW LITTLE SHOOTER LOST 
HIS LUCK 

One day, an Indian boy was playing 
beside a stream, when one of the little elf 
men came along in his canoe. The boy 
had his bow and arrow with him ; so had 
the little elf man. 

The little man stopped and offered to 
trade bows and arrows. The Indian boy 
looked first at his bow, and then at that 
of the little man. His bow was large. 
The little man's bow was very small. The 
boy thought his own bow was better, so 
he said he would not trade. 

The little elf man laughed and drew 
his bow. 

*'You think only big things are great," 
he said. '' Some day you will learn better. 
Some day you will want this little bow 

IROQUOIS STORIES — 12 201 



202 HOW LITTLE SHOOTER LOST HIS LUCK 

and these little arrows. Some day you 
will wish you had traded." 

Then he shot an arrow into the clouds, 
sprang into his canoe, and paddled off 
up the stream. As he disappeared, he 
called back to the boy, '' You will see me 
again, sometime ! " 

The Indian boy ran to his wigwam 
home. He told his father about the little 
man he had seen, and how the man 
wanted to trade bow and arrows. 

'' And you did not trade ? " exclaimed 
the father. 

" No," said the boy, '* his bow was small; 
mine is large." 

" Foolish boy ! " said the father. '' That 
little man was a Jo gah oh, one of the 
Little People. They do wonderful things. 
Their arrows are winged with power. Had 
you traded bows, you would have become 
a great hunter, and been able to get near 
the animals. 



HOW LITTLE SHOOTER LOST HIS LUCK 203 

'' Those little arrows of the Jo gah oh 
fly swift and far, and always bring back 
game. The boy who has a Jo gah oh 
bow and arrow always has good luck. 
One arrow of theirs is worth a flight of 
yours. Had you traded bow and arrows, 
you would have been called * He shoots 
the sky.' Now you shall be called ' Little 
Shooter.' " 

Little Shooter grew to be a man. He 
went often on the chase, but his arrows 
did not bring much game. 

Many times, he wished he could meet 
the little elf man again, and trade bow 
and arrows, for sometimes he ran for 
days and found no track of deer or rabbit. 
But the little elf man never came. 

One day, when Little Shooter had grown 
to be quite an old man, he was walking 
in the woods. He stopped under a tree 
to rest. Several times he felt something 
fall on his head. 



204 HOW LITTLE SHOOTER LOST HIS LUCK 

At last he looked up to see what it was. 

There sat the little elf man, swinging 
on the tip of a branch, and throwing nuts 
and twigs at him. He looked just as 
he did when Little Shooter met him by 
the stream long before. He had not grown 
old or changed at all. 

" How long have you been here ? " asked 
Little Shooter. 

" I have always been here," said the 
little man. '' I have been in the world 
ever since the stones were soft." 

Then he laughed, and asked, '' Does 
Little Shooter now like big bow and 
arrows best, or has he learned that some- 
times small things are great ? Next time, 
he had better trade with the little man," 
and aiming another nut at Little Shooter's 
head, he disappeared in the tree trunk. 



HOW AN INDIAN BOY WON 
HIS NAME 

It was bluebird time, many moons ago. 
Little brooks laughed and danced, and all 
the forest was glad. 

An Indian boy came running through the 
forest. He, too, was glad, for it was spring ! 

As he ran down the trail, he saw some- 
thing hanging from a bush. The bush 
was but a few rabbit jumps from the trail, 
so he stopped to see what new flower 
the spring had brought. He found the 
new flower to be a tiny papoose cradle. 

The boy picked the cradle from the 

bush, and held it in the palm of his hand. 

As he looked closer, he saw that there 

was a tiny papoose in the little cradle. 

The wee papoose laughed in his face, as 

he spoke to it. 

205 



206 HOW AN INDIAN BOY WON HIS NAME 

The boy had never seen so tiny a 
papoose, and he thought he would take 
it home to his mother, it was so cunning. 
She had but nine of her own. He was 
sure she would Hke one more, and that 
there would be a place for the tiny stranger 
in their wigwam. 

He started to run on down the trail, but 
something seemed to hold him fast. He 
could not get away. Three times he tried 
to run, but each time he only circled round 
that bush. Something held him to the 
spot. 

Just then there came a sharp cry from 
up the trail. The boy thought some ani- 
mal must be hurt or in pain. He turned 
to look and saw a little woman coming. 
She was less than a foot high, but she 
ran like a deer to the boy, and cried and 
begged him to give back her baby. 

Then the boy knew it was the love of 
that little mother that had held him fast. 



HOW AN INDIAN BOY WON HIS NAME 207 

He could not break the love cord between 
that mother and her baby. 

Now the boy had a heart that was soft 
and kind. He liked to see everything 
happy. When he saw the little mother 
crying and beg- 
ging for her baby, 
he felt sorry for 
her. 

Many times he 
had heard his 
mother tell how 
every mother bird 
loves her young; 
every mother 
bear, her cub; 
every mother ^^^^ 



deer, her fawn; 

every Indian 

mother, her papoose. And he knew this 

little fairy mother must also love her 

fairy baby, so he put it on the little 




^^^^V,;45U^^^'^'^W'*'^°'''''^'^Wt^ 



208 HOW AN INDIAN BOY WON HIS NAME 

mother's back, and told her she should 
have her papoose. 

The little mother gave a glad cry, as 
she felt the baby on her back once more. 
Then she drew a stone from a bag which 
she carried, and slipped it on a string of 
beads that hung from the boy's neck. 

The stone shone on his breast like a 
dewdrop. 

" Because you are good, and kind, and 
unselfish, and because you make every- 
thing happy," she said, ** you shall wear 
this good-luck stone. It will bring you 
whatever you want. 

"We Little People give this stone to 
those earth children only, who are strong 
and yet protect the weak. Wear it always 
on your breast. Never take it off, and 
you will become a mighty chief." 

Then the little mother gave another 
glad cry, and with her baby on her back 
she disappeared into an oak. 



HOW AN INDIAN BOY WON HIS NAME 209 

The boy ran on. His heart grew lighter 
and the stone brighter, as he ran. Before 
he reached his mother's wigwam, his 
arrows had brought back game for their 
evening meal. 

From the day when the boy met the 
little Jo gall oh mother in the wood, and 
was given the stone, he had good luck. 
Whatever he did, all went well with him. 
If he went on the chase, he brought back 
deer. If he planted corn, it grew tall and 
fine. No boy could throw a ball as far, or 
could run as fast as he. He could shoot 
his arrows to the sky, and could send his 
snow-snakes skimming far beyond the rest. 

So lucky was this Indian boy, that his 
tribe called him '' Luck-in-all-moons." "• He 
wears the good-luck stone," the old people 
said as they sat around the fire, and they 
nodded their heads knowingly. But they 
never knew how he came by it, or why 
he won the stone. 



2IO HOW AN INDIAN BOY WON HIS NAME 

And when " Luck-in-all-moons " grew to 
be a man, his tribe made him a great 
chief. Just as the little /o ga/i oh mother 
had said, he became a chief, though not in 
the chieftain line. 

Because he stood so strong and straight, 
serving the people, protecting the weak, 
and doing great deeds, he was called the 
Pine-tree Chief. 

'' His feet are planted deep in wisdom 
and strength," they said, '' and his head 
is not far from the sky. He sees far and 
points us the way. As the topmost branch 
of the pine points always to the east, so 
Luck-in-all-moons shall guide us to the sun 
rising. He shall be our Pine-tree Chief." 



HOW THE FAIRIES WORKED 
MAGIC 

Once a little Indian girl was very sad 
and unhappy. The Great Spirit had 
taken her father and mother, and she had 
gone to live with relatives who did not 
want her. Often she went to sleep hungry, 
for only the scraps of food that were left 
from a meal were given to her. 

One day, the relatives of the little girl 
brought in a fine deer from the chase, 
and made ready for a feast. They told 
the girl to get out of the lodge, for there 
was neither room, nor meat for her. 

The little girl ran and hid herself in 
a great field of corn. There she cried 
aloud. 

Soon a band of strange Little People 
gathered about her, to comfort her. On 

211 



212 HOW THE FAIRIES WORKED MAGIC 

all sides, from the folds of the green corn- 
stalks they came. 

They stroked her head, wiped .the tears 
from her eyes, and said, '' Don't cry, 
little girl. We will take care of you. 
You shall come and live with us. We 
will make a feast for you. We know 
why you are sad, for we can read the 
thoughts of all the earth children. Come 
with us, and we will show you more 
wonderful things than you have ever 
seen." 

At this the little girl dried her tears, 
and smiled at the kind Little People. 

" You are very good to me," she said. 
'' Who are you ? " 

" We are the Jo gah oJi',' they replied, 
" the Little People. Come, and we will 
show you what we can do." 

Then they slipped some winged mocca- 
sins upon her feet. They wrapped her 
in an invisible blanket and put a magic 



Plow THE FAIRIES WORKED MAGIC 213 

corn plume in her hair, and the next mo- 
ment all were flying through the air. 

They flew to a ledge of great rocks. 
At the touch of the Little People, the 
rocks opened, and they passed within. 

The girl found herself in a beautiful 
lodge. Kind Jo gait oh mothers were 
baking cakes and roasting meat. They 
welcomed the girl, and soon a feast was 
spread in her honor. 

Now the heart of the little girl was 
so light that she danced with joy. 

" What wonderful people you are I Can 
you go anywhere, or do anything you 
wish ? " 

"Yes," said the little chief, ^' the Jo 
gah oh are small, but they are great. 
Come with us, and you shall see what we 
can do." 

Again they were flying through the air. 
Soon they reached the lodge where the 
little girl had lived. It was night, and her 



214 HOW THE FAIRIES WORKED MAGIC 

relatives were asleep, but she could see 
the deer that hung outside ready for the 
feast. 

'' Now," said the /o gah oh chief, " we 
will call out a pack of wolves from the 
wood yonder, and there will be no fat 
deer for this selfish feast, at sunrise." 

Now no wolves had been seen in that 
wood for many moons. But at the call 
of the fairies, a pack sprang from it, ran 
to the lodge, seized the deer, and tore it 
into shreds. Then they again disappeared 
in the wood. 

The little girl's eyes were large now 
with wonder, as they flew back to the fairy 
lodge in the rocks, but she was not afraid 
of these strange Little People. She was 
so happy with them she wished she might 
always live in 2lJo gah oh lodge. 

One morning, the little chief said, " To- 
day we shall see more wonders." 

This time a tiny canoe was waiting. 



HOW THE FAIRIES WORKED MAGIC 215 

They stepped into it and sailed down a 
river until they came to a great tree. 

*' In that tree," said the little chief, '' lives 
a great, black bear. Every day he comes 
out that door you see high up in the bear 
tree. I will make the door fast so he 
cannot open it. A deep sleep will fall on 
him. He will sleep for many 'moons." 

Then the chief threw three stones 
through the open door of the bear tree. 
Each time, a flame spread like a blanket 
over the door. A growling and scratching 
was heard within. Then all became still. 

'' Now," said the chief, '' the bear will 
sleep until I call him in the spring. He 
is locked up for the winter. Come, let 
us go on," 

The little girl drew her invisible blanket 
closer, as the canoe went sailing with the 
birds through the clouds. The birds that 
were swift of wing called loudly for a race. 

'* Come on ! " said the fairy chief. 



2l6 HOW THE FAIRIES WORKED MAGIC 

Then he spread wide the invisible sails 
of his canoe, and they flew past the birds 
like a streak of lightning. Even the 
eagle was left far behind. They seemed 
to shoot through the sky. 

And, oh, what fun it was to be a bird! 
The little girl would have sailed on 
forever, but the little chief said, '' You 
shall now return to your people. We 
have given them soft hearts and kind 
minds. They are calling for you. They 
will be glad to see you." 

And soon the little girl was again in 
the wigwam of her relatives, sitting by 
the warm fire. 

They greeted her with joy, spread a 
soft skin for her to sit upon, and gave 
her the best food. And the little girl 
lived with them, ever after, and was happy. 



t.^ 



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